Interruptions
by LilyWafiq
Summary: Sam was hoping for some time alone with Jack, however, things keep getting in the way, whether it be nosey teams or apocalyptic events off-world. S/J all the way.
1. Chapter 1

**Interruptions**

**Chapter One**

Not a day went past that Samantha Carter didn't sit alone in her lab, pestered with thoughts of what could have been. She couldn't complain that her life wasn't good, hell, she went to other planets, even other galaxies, on a regular basis. But still she wished for more. She wanted a life. And not just her military life. A life with a husband she loved, maybe some kids, and a nice house, preferably without the threat of impending alien invasion. But that was never going to happen, was it? There were a few problems with that fantasy. One, how could she have kids, knowing that every mission off-world could be the last; two, sure, they weren't about to be obliterated by aliens, the Goa'uld were gone, the Replicators destroyed, the Ori neutralised, but who knows when something else would pop-up out of nowhere; and three, the object of her desires was still, albeit indirectly, her CO. Boy she hated regulations. Loathed them with a passion.

Sam sighed. Why did she have to fall in love with someone she couldn't have? Why couldn't she have fallen for Daniel, or Teal'c, or even Pete. She'd had some flings in the past with other alien men, notably Martouf, but nothing compared to the love she felt for him. General Jack O'Neill. Sam still remembered the exact moment she realised was in love with him. Before that she'd put it down to sexual attraction. Who wouldn't be attracted to O'Neill? He was an impressive specimen of the male gender. _Very_ impressive. Sam'd realised quite early on that she was attracted to him, especially after the 'touched' incident, and even with his 'side arm' quip when they were stuck in Antarctica. But it was after three years, or was it four, Sam didn't remember anymore, that she knew for certain that she loved him. When they'd been separated from each other by that stupid force field on Apophis' new ship and Jack wouldn't leave her, that's when Sam knew. Everything she felt came down to one simple fact. She was in love with her CO. she knew he cared for her too, however she didn't know if that was love or just a drive to protect anyone on his team, especially after what happened to Charles Kawalsky after his second mission off world. That was about eight years ago now, Sam realised with a start. Wow, she'd been in love with him for eight years, at least.

Sam was so lost in thought that she didn't hear the phone ring, until it was answered.

"This is the laboratory of Colonel Samantha Carter PhD. Vala Mal Doran speaking. How may I direct your call?"

Sam chuckled at Vala's answering technique, before vaguely wondering when she'd arrived.

"I will be sure to tell her as soon as she stops daydreaming." Vala said into the receiver. "Mmm hmm… let me ask… Samantha?"

Sam looked up at the other woman expectantly.

"Are you free tomorrow night at 1930?" Vala asked.

Sam frowned. "Why?"

"You've been asked to dinner."

"What are you, my secretary?" Sam asked.

Vala shrugged. "I like answering the phone."

"So I gathered." Sam replied. "Who's on the phone?"

"Oh you know, that guy you're always thinking about." Vala gave a cheeky grin. "General Jack."

Sam almost leapt out of the chair to get to the phone.

"Oh, she's eager to talk to you." Vala told Jack. "Very eager."

Sam snatched the receiver from the other woman's hand and stuttered into it, "Hello?"

"Carter?"

The voice was like music to her ears. "Sir, how are you?"

"Yeah, not so bad. You?" Jack replied.

"Not so bad." Sam said back.

There was a pause, which Sam used to shoo Vala from the room.

"So…" Jack said. "Are you free tomorrow night?"

"Yes." Sam replied.

"Great, how about dinner?" Jack asked.

"Sounds good." Sam answered, then she frowned. "Aren't you in Washington, sir?"

"As a matter of fact, I'm in Colorado Springs for a few days. I'm 'inspecting' the SGC ." Jack said. Then he added conspiratoriously, "It's just an excuse to drop by."

Sam laughed. "It's good to hear from you sir."

"It's good to hear your voice again Carter." Jack said quietly.

Sam smiled to herself. "So, where are we going for dinner?"

"Tell you what, I'll pick you up from your place at 1900. Wear something nice." Jack replied.

"You're not going to tell me where?" Sam asked.

"Nope." Jack replied.

"Fair enough." Sam replied. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Yeah."

There was another pause.

"Thanks for calling sir." Sam said quietly.

"You're welcome." Jack answered. "Bye."

"Bye." Slowly Sam hung up the phone, smiling happily to herself.


	2. Chapter 2

**Interruptions**

**Chapter Two**

Sam sat back comfortably in her chair at the restaurant that Jack had taken her too. She was having fun, however it had not all gone how she'd expected. Sam had been expecting a romantic dinner, just her and Jack. But somehow the rest of SG1 had managed to get themselves invited too. Sure, she was enjoying herself, but she had hoped for some time alone with Jack.

"What do you think, Sam?" Daniel Jackson's voice cut through Sam's thoughts.

"Sorry, what?"

Daniel chuckled. "I said, there are some advantages to working at an air-force base. What do you think?"

"Well, I've had more experience than you with working on an air-force base. I think it depends on what base you work at. The one where we are is the best I've ever been at." Sam answered.

"I agree." Said Cameron Mitchell. "I've had some dodgy bases, and some even dodgier CO's." He grinned. "General Landry's pretty cool."

"General Hammond was the best CO I've ever served under." Sam said.

"Agreed." Said Jack.

"Mmm hmm." Daniel said as he took a drink from his glass.

Teal'c inclined his head, a gesture of agreement.

"Though, General O'Neill… now there was a CO who was hard to please." Sam said, a twinkle in her eye.

Daniel nodded. "Very hard to please."

"General O'Neill? Wait, isn't that…?" Vala looked from Sam, to Jack, who smiled, to Daniel, who was grinning. "Oh… oh I get it! Good one!" Vala laughed.

Everyone else at the table chuckle, except Teal'c, who smiled in his own way.

Sam stood up. "Excuse me." She said, then she walked to the bathroom.

She looked at herself in the mirror and sighed, before exiting and walking into someone.

"Oh I'm sorry." She looked up. "Sir!"

"Carter." Jack replied. He made no move to stand out of Sam's way. "Are you okay?"

"What do you mean?" Sam asked in reply.

"You seem a bit out of it." Jack replied.

"Oh, well." Sam sighed. "When you invited me to dinner, I kinda expected it to be just you and me. I didn't realise you were inviting everyone else."

Jack smiled. "When I invited you to dinner, I intended for it to be just you and me."

"You did?" Sam blinked up at him in surprised.

"Yeah. I haven't spent any time with you in ages. I wanted to spend some quality time with just you."

Sam felt like she was melting. "I missed you."

Jack's hand came up to brush a strand of hair from Sam's face. "I missed you too." He smiled sweetly at her.

"So why did they come?" Sam asked, curious.

"Oh you know. Danny-boy found out we were going to dinner. So suggested he and Teal'c should come along. Sort of like old times." Jack chuckled. "Then when Vala found out that Daniel was coming, she just had to come along too. So I figured it would be nicer to invite Mitchell as well, so he didn't feel left out."

They looked over at the group. Vala had somehow managed to convince Daniel to let her feed him. She was now alternating between spooning mouthfuls of Tiramisu into her mouth and spooning mouthfuls into Daniel's mouth. Cameron was laughing at the two of them and Teal'c was being his stoic self.

"I love this." Sam said quietly.

"Love what?" Jack asked.

"We're a family. A big, crazy, dysfunctional family." Sam replied. "And I love it."

Jack surveyed her closely. "So do I. But you know what I love more?" He asked.

Sam looked up into his eyes. "What?"

Jack leant down and gave Sam a gentle kiss.

"You." He said simply.

After a short pause, Sam drew in a shaky breath. "Really?"

"Oh yeah." Jack replied.

Sam grinned shyly. "I love you too, Jack."

Jack grinned too. "I promise, tomorrow night I am taking you to dinner, just you and me. No interruptions."

Sam smiled. "I'm looking forward to it already."

Then they walked back to the table, hand in hand.


	3. Chapter 3

**Interruptions**

**A/N: **I've noticed that in Moebius and in Continuum that Sam wears glasses. So, I wrote that into this story.

**Chapter Three**

It was nearly midnight when Sam's phone rang. She woke from a pleasant dream involving a somewhat undressed Jack and grabbed the phone receiver.

"Carter." She yawned into the phone.

"Colonel. I'm sorry to wake you." General Landry's voice floated through the phone.

Sam yawned again. "No problem sir."

"I'm really sorry to say this Colonel, but can you come in to base now?" The general asked.

"Sir?"

"We've got some issues." Landry said.

Sam sighed. "Give me half an hour."

"Thank you Colonel." Landry said.

"Yeah." Sam hung up the phone, groaned to herself before dragging herself out of bed and grabbing at some clothes. She didn't care what she grabbed, and ended up with her baggy, military issue pants, and an old USAF T-shirt. She pulled them on and pulled her now long blonde hair into a scraggily pony tail. She grabbed her glasses, something she very rarely wore, but it was the middle of the night and she couldn't be bothered putting in her contacts. She grabbed a pair of her military boots and an old jumper, before finally leaving the house. She stopped at the local coffee house, glad that it was open at night, and bought a latte. She then continued on to the SGC.

When Sam arrived, she realised that she wasn't the only one called in at midnight. And they all looked as tired as she felt. Daniel was wearing a pair of tracksuit pants and a jacket. Cameron was yawning and wearing almost the same as Sam. Military pants and a USAF T-shirt. Sam noticed that Vala wasn't in her pyjamas. She was in an oversized T-shirt and a pair of very baggy military pants. Sam wondered for a moment where she'd been staying, the figured, judging by the closeness earlier, that Vala had been at Daniel's.

"What's going on?" Sam asked.

Daniel shrugged. "Haven't seen Landry yet."

Vala gave a Sam a curious look. "You wear glasses?"

"Only if I can't be bothered wearing my contacts. Which is very rarely." Sam replied. "I keep some pairs of contacts here, and some at home. But it was late when General Landry called, I just could not be stuffed finding a pair."

Vala nodded in understanding, and then turned to Daniel. "So why don't you have these contacts as well?"

Daniel shrugged. "I've worn glasses for so long, that they honestly don't bother me anymore."

"Ah, SG1."

Sam and the rest of the team turned to face a tired looking General Hank Landry. Sam and Cameron immediately stood at attention.

"At ease colonels." Landry said. "Shall we all take a seat?"

Everyone sat around the briefing room's long table.

"We received this transmission at approximately 2345." Landry said, pressing play on the tape recorder that was sitting in front of him.

"_General Hammond, or whoever may be in charge now…as Quinn…bomb…help." _The transmission was hazy and full of static.

Sam's eyes went wide and she turned to Daniel. "Did he say…?"

"I think so." Daniel replied.

"I believe you are correct, Colonel Carter." Teal'c said.

"What?" Vala asked.

"You know the sender of this transmission?" Landry asked.

"Yes." Sam replied, her blood running cold. "It's Jonas, sir. Jonas Quinn."

"The alien from Kelowna who brought the Naquadria to Earth?" Cameron asked. "Who was on SG1 while Jackson was ascended?"

Daniel stared at him. "You really did read every mission report?"

"Yep."

Daniel rolled his eyes.

"Yes." Sam confirmed. "That's Jonas. We haven't heard from him in over five years."

"He said something about a bomb?" Daniel asked.

"We were unable to reply." Landry said. "The transmission cut out before we could talk to him."

"He asked for help." Vala said.

"We should check it out." Daniel said.

Landry nodded. "We'll send a MALP, if that comes back safe, you'll leave in half an hour."

"Half an hour?" Sam asked, checking her watch. "It's 0110."

"If you want to leave your friend in need Colonel, then by all means go ahead." Landry said.

Sam shook her head. "I'm sorry sir. I got very little sleep before you called."

"I don't think any of us got much sleep." Daniel said.

"We were out pretty late." Cameron said with a yawn.

Landry looked mildly amused. "Is it common for my flagship team to go out at night and stay out late?" He asked.

Sam smiled. "No sir. We don't do it often. But every now and then it's nice to have a night out just to have fun."

"Agreed." Cameron said.

"Okay Sg1, gear up, get ready to move out."

Slowly they all stood and walked to the locker room to get ready.


	4. Chapter 4

**Interruptions**

**Chapter Four**

SG1 assembled in the gate room. The MALP had given the all clear for them to go.

"But be warned." Landry said. "It's pretty horrific."

Sam was muttering to herself as they walked up the ramp. "Friggin' mission at friggin' two in the morning with friggin' half an hour's sleep, without my friggin' contacts…" She trailed off at the look she was getting from Cameron. "What?" She snapped.

"You okay?"

"Yeah fine. I seem to have misplaced all my contacts and now I have to go offworld with glasses!"

Daniel raised an eyebrow.

"No offence." Sam said quickly. "But I spend a lot of time fighting, and glasses really get in the way."

"Good luck SG1." Landry said over the PA. "Your scheduled check in is at 0800 hours."

And with that parting message, SG1 strode confidently, or was it tiredly, through the gate.

"Wonder what he meant about horrific." Cameron said as he strode through the event horizon. He realised pretty soon. SG1 stopped, and stared.

"Oh my." Vala said, grabbing Daniel's arm.

Everyone else was silent.

Sam stared out in horror. This wasn't horrific, it was 100 times worse. No words could describe it. Nothing was left standing, no buildings, no trees. Sam knew the Stargate on Langara, like on Earth, was housed underground, but they'd come through into a large area, the ceiling had collapsed and they could see out easily.

"Let's go." Sam said, and they began to climb out of the wreckage.

"What happened Daniel?" Vala asked quietly.

"I'm not 100% sure." Daniel replied.

"What do you _think_ happened?" Vala asked.

Daniel didn't answer, but Sam knew what he was thinking.

"Sam?" Sam heard a voice calling her name. "Teal'c? Daniel?"

Sam turned to see a familiar face. "Jonas!" She walked over to him and gave him a hug. "I'd ask how you are, but I don't think I want to."

Jonas Quinn looked almost the same as when he'd left the SGC, except for a slight beard. He looked curiously at Vala and Cameron.

Sam followed his gaze. "Oh! This is Colonel Cameron Mitchell and Vala Mal Doran. Members of SG1. Vala, Cam, this is Jonas Quinn, former member of SG1."

"Pleased to meet you. Wish it were under better circumstances." Cameron said.

Vala smiled at Jonas.

"Jonas, what happened?" Sam asked.

Jonas looked both sad and bitter. "Atomic bomb." He sid.

"What? Why?" Daniel asked.

"After I returned to Kelowna, the other nations of Langara wanted diplomacy and world wide co-operation. It worked at first. But not for long. Before today, we were in a state of cold war. We're not sure who was responsible for this attack, but it's more than likely because we still have the Stargate."  
Sam nodded in agreement. Then she surveyed the surroundings again. "It's…" She couldn't find a world to use.

"I know." Jonas replied.

"Jonas?" Another voice sounded from behind him.

He turned. "Ah, Shaya, come meet my friends."

A pretty, young woman walked over to the group. She was followed by a small child. The child clung to Jonas' leg as soon as she reached him. Jonas smiled. "This is Shaya." He said, indicating the woman. "Shaya, this is Samantha Carter, Daniel Jackson, Teal'c, Vala Mal Doran and Cameron Mitchell. SG1."

Shaya nodded politely at all of them.

"Shaya's my wife." Jonas explained. "And this is our daughter, Carrisa."

Sam smiled down at the child, who looked up at her with big brown eyes. She was still clinging to Jonas' leg.

"Congratulations." Sam said.

Jonas sighed. "Yeah." He looked up at Sam. "What now? What do we do now? Everything's gone, and I know what's going to happen next. I researched Hiroshima while I was on Earth. We face being outcasts, lingering radiation, not to mention radiation sickness." Jonas bent down, picking up Carrisa and holding her close. "While the rest of the world just moves on and forgets."

"Can I suggest something?" Sam asked. "Come to Earth with us, we can discuss what we're going to do there, if General Landry and the President actually let us help."

"Landry" Jonas asked.

"I think you'll find a lot has changed since you left." Daniel said.

"Yeah, I was going to ask, Colonel O'Neill?"

Sam smiled, despite the gloom. "General O'Neill is currently Head of Homeworld security in Washington."

"After a stint as CO of the SGC." Daniel added.

"Wow, good on him." Jonas said. He turned to his wife, then looked back at Sam. "I'll come if Shaya and Carrisa can too."

Sam nodded. "That's fine."

"Well, let's go." Jonas said.

Sam yawned suddenly, fatigue hitting her.

"You tired?" Jonas asked.

"Well, I've had half an hour's sleep, and it's…" She checked her watch.

"Late." Vala said.

"Or early, depending on how you look at it." Daniel said.

"0300 hours." Sam said.

Jonas raised an eyebrow. "Sorry for waking you up."

"Not your fault, don't worry about it." Cameron said. "She's just grumpy 'cause she couldn't find a pair of contact lenses."

Sam punched him on the arm. Hard.

Cameron punched back.

Sam gave him a warning look. "You really want to get into a fight with me?"

"Eh, probably not." Cameron said, dropping his fist.

"Good, let's move out."

"Uh… I thought I was in charge." Cameron said.

"Don't push it." Sam said. "I've got more off-world experience than you, and I'm running on adrenaline. DON'T argue with me."

Cameron just nodded.


	5. Chapter 5

**Interruptions**

**Chapter Five**

**A/N: Reviews are love :)**

They started back towards the gate.

"Wait. I need to show you something." Jonas said. "Please, come with me."

Sam nodded and began to follow Jonas. They walked for about 10 minutes before Jonas stopped on a small hill.

"This is where you can see all of the city." Jonas said. "Or where you _could_ see the city. Before a bomb was dropped on it." He continued bitterly.

For the second time since they'd first arrived, SG1 was silent. There was destruction as far as they could see. No buildings were left untouched; there were people everywhere, the skin burnt off them, broken bones, broken spirits.

"How can two countries hate each other so much that they could do _this_ to each other?" Sam asked quietly.

No one answered.

"I can't look at this anymore. Let's go." Cameron said. They all began to walk back towards the gate.

"Halt!" Cried a voice a little while later. "Surrender your weapons!"

Sam turned to see a heavily armed man, flanked by three more men. Army of some sort, she figured. She turned to Jonas.

"They're not ours." He muttered. "We should get out of here."

"Agreed." Sam murmured. "On my signal." She said to the others.

Jonas grabbed his daughter and held her close.

"Now!"

They scattered and began running towards the gate. They almost made it.

"Jonas!" It was Shaya who was hit by a bullet first, she stumbled.

Sam stopped to help. Jonas stopped too. He shoved Carrisa into Sam's arms and hoisted Shaya off the ground and they continued running. Teal'c, Vala and Cameron were firing their P-90s wildly, trying to buy Daniel, who had reached the DHD, some time to dial. Vala took a round in the thigh and Daniel was hit on his arm. He managed to dial and send his IDC.

"Get a med team!" He spat through the radio as he rushed to help Vala off the ground. They dashed through the gate, followed closely by Jonas, carrying Shaya, and Sam carrying Carrisa. Cameron jumped through next, landing roughly on the ramp, and Teal'c came through last.

"Shut the iris!" Sam yelled at the control room. Walter Harriman did so, the iris sliding shut and there were two thuds against it before the wormhole disengaged.

The med team rushed into the gate room, getting Shaya and Vala on stretchers, and taking Daniel with them as well, left to the infirmary.

Sam wandered up to the control room still holding the little girl. "Where's General Landry?" She asked.

"He's asleep in his office I think." Walter replied.

"Okay. He woke us up, so let's wake him up." Sam said.

Soon Sam, Jonas, Cameron and Teal'c were standing outside Landry's office, Sam knocking loudly.

Finally Landry opened the door. He blinked a few times. "When'd you get back?"

"Deep sleeper are we sir?" Cameron asked. "We were under fire, needed a med team and all."

Landry then saw Carrisa, who was still clinging to Sam. He frowned in confusion. "That wasn't a charity mission, Colonel. I know you've brought back children before, but you should get permission first."

"Actually sir, she's my daughter." Jonas stepped forward. "Jonas Quinn." He stuck out a hand.

Landry shook it. "General Hank Landry." He said in reply. Then he looked questioningly at Sam.

"We have some things to discuss." She said. "But first, can we take a few hours to catch up on the sleep we missed?"

Landry nodded. "I trust you'll find somewhere for Mr Quinn and his daughter to stay."

"I will sir." Sam replied. "We also brought back a woman, sir. Jonas' wife. She took a hit before we came through."

Landry sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Okay, we'll debrief at 0900 hours."

Sam nodded, before turning to leave, indicating to Jonas that he should follow.

**A/N: Sorry this is a short chapter, but when I wrote what comes next, it just seemed like the next chapter, so this one ended up shorter than the others.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Interruptions**

**Chapter Six**

While they were walking, Jonas decided to catch up on everything that had happened while he was gone.

"I notice Dr Frasier wasn't with the med team." He said.

Sam sighed. "She died."

"Oh. Oh no. When?"

"About a year after you left. She took a staff weapon blast to the chest."

"I'm sorry." Jonas replied.

"So were we." Sam answered.

There was a reflective silence, both remembering their friend. Carrisa was falling asleep in Sam's arms.

"You seem natural with children." Jonas commented. "Have any of your own yet?"

"No." Sam replied. "Maybe one day."

"Do you have a partner?" Jonas inquired.

Sam smiled slightly. "Sort of."

"Sort of? What about General O'Neill?"

Sam's smile broadened, but she said nothing.

Jonas grinned too. "Your 'sort of' partner is General O'Neill?"

Sam nodded. "Yesterday." She said quietly.

"Huh?"

"He told me yesterday. How he feels."

"Which is…?" Jonas prompted.

"He loves me." She replied.

"Huh! I knew it!"

"What?" Sam demanded.

"I'm not the only one who thought so." Jonas answered. "When I was here, there were all sorts of bets running. There probably still are."

Sam rolled her eyes. "Yeah right."

"It's true!"

"Here." Sam stopped outside a door. "I think you'll find it familiar enough." She smiled down at the sleeping girl in her arms.

"She's gorgeous. Just like her mother." Jonas said.

"Yeah." Sam replied. "But she has your eyes." She passed Carrisa back to Jonas.

"Thanks."

"Goodnight Jonas."

"Goodnight Sam."

Sam walked back to her quarters and quickly stripped off her BDUs. She jumped into bed wearing knickers and a tank top. Oh if Jack could see her now, she thought. She was so tired, but as soon as her head hit the pillow, she was wide awake. Every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was the death and destruction on Langara. Though she knew quite a bit about the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, nothing could have prepared her for what they saw in Kelowna. She looked over at her clock. 0458. Great. Almost dawn. Her mind wandered to Jack. She wondered if she'd be able to make dinner after all. If she did, she'd probably fall asleep. Sam shut her eyes, imagining Jack's face; his hands; his voice, she could almost hear it. Wait a minute, she could hear his voice.

"I believe I outrank you, airman. Therefore, you should be responding to my orders, should you not?"

"But sir, these are private quarters, I cannot allow you to enter without the permission of Colonel Carter."

"Oh, she'll be fine, she won't mind." Jack replied.

"I'm sorry sir, I need her permission."

"Then get it."

"She doesn't want to be disturbed. She's trying to get some sleep."

Sam hopped out of bed and walked over to the door. She swung it open as Jack was about to go off on another rampage.

"General." She said.

"Colon…" He trailed off as he turned around and saw her. "…el."

The airman was also staring, open mouthed at Sam. She rolled her eyes, leant forward and dragged Jack into the room, before shutting the door.

"Uh…" Jack managed to say.

Sam jumped back into bed. "What cha doin' here?"

"Well, I heard you brought back a visitor."

"Yeah, Jonas is here." Sam replied. "There was an atomic bomb dropped on Kelowna."

"What?!"

Sam yawned. "And now I can't sleep."

"You can't sleep? Why not?" Jack walked over and sat on the bed next to Sam.

"It was awful." She whispered. She gazed up at Jack through some hair that was sitting over her face. Jack brought up a hand to brush it away. Sam then reached out to hold his hand. "You've read Hiroshima, right?"

"John Hersey?"

"Yeah."  
"Yes, I have." Jack replied.

"Well, you think that gives you an idea of the horror. It's nothing. Nothing in comparison to what it's actually like." She sighed. "Whenever I close my eyes all I can see is people with clothes burnt on to their skin; people who are so burnt and disfigured that they're unrecognisable. No buildings left standing. There's nothing left. It's just rubble, ash and people dying."

Jack pulled off his jacket, and kicked off his shoes. He pulled back the blanket covering Sam, and slipped in next to her. He held her close. "Don't think about it. Think about me, you, us."

Sam smiled. "Jonas is married."

"What?!"

"And he has a daughter, Carrisa. She's gorgeous."

"Jonas is married AND he has a kid?!"

"Yeah."

"Wow." Jack grinned into Sam's shoulder. His hand rested on Sam's stomach, hers lying lightly on top. Soon she was asleep, resting peacefully in Jack's arms.


	7. Chapter 7

**Interruptions**

**Chapter Six**

It was 0830 when Jack lightly shook Sam awake. "Sam, wake up." He said in her ear.

She groaned.

"No, you can't have five more minutes." Jack said, and he pressed a kiss to her neck. "You have a briefing in half an hour."

Sam groaned again.

Jack's hand, which had been resting on Sam's stomach, began to creep upwards.

Sam wriggled.

Jack grinned, and continued upwards. Surely this will wake her up. Sure enough…

"Ah!" Sam jumped up. She turned and glared at Jack.

He gave an innocent look back. "Ticklish Carter?" Then his eyes wandered up and down Sam's body. He took in the gorgeous long legs and her tossled blond hair.

"Do you have any clue as to how beautiful you are?" He asked.

Sam blushed. "I'm nothing special."

"Oh yes you are." Jack replied. "Extremely intelligent, resourceful, strong, brave." He checked everything off on his fingers. "Did I forget anything? Oh, yes… incredibly sexy!"

Sam laughed. "If you say so."

"Oh I say so, I definitely say so." Jack replied, climbing out of bed and grabbing Sam in a hug. He kissed the top of her head. "And I love you."

Sam grinned into Jack's neck. "I love you too."

Jack leant down and kissed Sam's cheek, then her lips. He then pulled away. "You now have 25 minutes until your briefing." He raised an eyebrow. "Get enough sleep?"

Sam rubbed her eyes. "It'll have to do." She rummaged around for some clean clothes to wear. The she looked over at Jack, who was watching. "You're not going to just… leave… are you?"

"Nope." He replied.

Sam rolled her eyes. "So, you're going to stare at me while I get changed?"

"Well, if you're offering to let me…" Jack gave a suggestive grin.

Sam looked around on the floor until she spotted her bra. She picked it up, laying it on the bed with the shirt she'd pulled from her drawer. Then she went searching for her pants.

"Blue today?" Jack asked. "I miss the green."

Sam chuckled as she pulled the blue pants on. She then paused, trying to decide if she was game enough to take off the tank top in front of Jack.

"Hey." He said. "I'll turn around if you want me too."

Sam smiled at his thoughtfulness. "You don't have too." She said, pulling off the tank top.

Jack's breath hitched as Sam's breasts fell free off the top. This was affecting other parts of his body too, but now was neither the time nor the place.

Sam grinned shyly at Jack's reaction, before sliding the bra straps up her arms and doing the clasp at the back. She then pulled on the black t-shirt she'd retrieved and picked up a hairbrush.

"Man, you've got everything here!" Jack said after he'd stopped staring at Sam.

"Yeah." She replied, braiding her hair. "Everything except contact lenses."

"You wear contacts?" Jack asked.

"Yeah. I hate my glasses, so I wear contacts. Except I don't have any here at the moment." She tied her hair, before picking up her glasses and putting them on. "I'm starting to wish I'd actually bothered to grab my contacts before I left home last night."

"I've never seen you with glasses on before." Jack said. "You look good. Although, you look good no matter what… so…"

Sam punched him lightly on the arm. "Okay. I'm going to see if Jonas is up. Wanna come?"

"Sure, I'd love to see our little alien friend." Jack answered. "And meet this family of his."

"Oh, I forgot! Shaya, that's Jonas' with, and Daniel were both in the infirmary. They were both shot."

"You were attacked?" Jack exclaimed. "And you forgot?"

"I was tired, I needed sleep." Sam replied. "I think it was whoever dropped the bomb."

"That would be a fair guess." Said Jack.

"Shall we go?" Sam asked, crossing the room to the door, and opening it.

They walked down the hall. The airman on duty, the same one whom Jack had tried to get to open Sam's door earlier that morning. He gave them a curious look as they walked past.

Jonas was just leaving his room with Carrisa trailing behind him as Jack and Sam arrived.

"Jonas, I brought you a visitor." Sam said.

Jonas turned, and grinned, just like he used to. "General O'Neill." He stuck out a hand. "It's good to see you again."

Jack shook Jonas' hand. "You too Jonas, sorry about what happened."

Jonas just nodded in reply.

Sam felt something clinging onto her leg, and looked down. "Hello Carrisa." She said to the girl.

Carrisa smiled at her.

"This is Carrisa." Sam said to Jack.

"My daughter." Jonas added.

"So I heard. Congratulations." Jack said.

"Jonas, how's Shaya?" Sam asked as they all began their journey to the briefing room.

"She's doing well." Jonas replied. "Dr Lam is a very good doctor."

"How about Daniel?" Sam asked.

"I'm fine." Daniel suddenly appeared through another door. If her was surprised to see Jack, he didn't show it. "Just a graze."

"You're used to it by now, huh Daniel?" Jack said.

Daniel gave a wry smile, then turned to Sam. "Get much sleep?"

Sam shook her head. "I couldn't shake the image of Kelowna."

"Nor could i." Jonas said.

"Neither." Daniel said.

The rest of the walk was made in sombre silence.


	8. Chapter 8

**Interruptions**

**Chapter Eight**

"I'm sorry." General Landry said.

"But sir!" Sam protested.

"Colonel, it is not up to me. I have spent hours on the phone to the President and to the Joint Chiefs. None of them wish to authorise any sort of help mission. According to them, it's not our problem."

Sam looked outraged. "If it wasn't for Jonas, we would never have received any Naquadria, thus would have been years behind in hyperdrive research." She said.

"Colonel, like I said, this is not up to me, so it's pointless arguing to me. Truthfully, I see what you're saying, I don't think a planet full of people deserve to suffer. However, if we were to give aid to every planet we came across that needed it, we would become a charity. Which we are not." Landry looked at Jonas. "I'm sorry."

Jonas nodded. "I can't say I expected much, but I am thankful for the hospitality I and my family have received."

"The President is willing to provide you and your wife and daughter with ongoing medical help, but that's all." Landry said.

Jonas didn't even take time to consider. "Thank you for the offer, but I decline. It wouldn't seem fair that my family gets special treatment to that of any other Kelownan."

"Very well." Landry answered.

Jonas sighed. "As soon as Shaya is well enough, I'd like to return to Kelowna."

The General nodded. "That can be arranged."

"Thanks."

"This is ridiculous!" Sam exclaimed. "We're not going to help at all?"

Landry sighed.

"I'm sorry sir, but these are our friends."

"Colonel, I think you'll find that Jonas is your friend. Not the whole planet." Jack said, interrupting.

"There are innocent people who have needlessly lost their lives!" Sam said.

"Sam, we will continue to live, to survive. It'll be hard for a while, yes, everyone knows that. But we'll manage." Jonas put a hand on Sam's arm. "Don't worry about us."

"Don't worry? Are you crazy? Of course I'm going to worry. I'll keep wondering if you've been annihilated or not." Sam took her glasses off and rubbed her eyes. She lay the glasses on the table. "You're my friend Jonas, and I worry about all my friends."

Jonas smiled at her. "Thanks for your concern Sam. How about we check in with you every couple of months, just to let you know the situation."

Sam nodded.

"If you ever need anything, just ask." Landry said. "And I'll see what I can do. No promises, but I'll try."

"Thank you, General." Jonas replied. "It'd be appreciated."

Landry nodded in reply. "Okay, briefings over." He said, getting up.

Sam and Cameron stood too, and they all watched the General walk back to his office.

"So…" Jack broke the silence. "Breakfast anyone?"

Sam rolled her eyes, but chuckled at Jack.

"What?" He asked.

"You're always thinking about food." She replied.

"Not always." Jack said, giving Sam a sly look.

She rolled her eyes again. "Breakfast sounds good."

"Fantastic." Jack replied, standing.

"It does." Daniel agreed.

"I'm up for food." Cameron said.

Vala nodded.

"I too am in need of sustenance." Teal'c said.

"Okay." Jack said, sounding slightly disappointed. "The commissary it is then." He walked to the door, then turned. "You coming?"

Everyone stood and left the briefing room.

"There goes our romantic breakfast." Jack whispered to Sam as they walked.

"Our romantic breakfast? I recall you inviting everyone."

Jack glared at her. "It was implied that I meant you."

"Oh really?" Sam sounded unconvinced. "If you say so."

"We still on for dinner tonight?" Jack asked.

"Of course." Sam replied.

Jack smiled. "Good."

They had arrived at the commissary, Sam sat next to Jack; Vala with Daniel; and Jonas sat with Shaya. Cameron sat across from Sam, next to Teal'c.

"I'm sorry things didn't work out too good Jonas." Jack said. "I did everything I could to get the President to change his mind."

"Thanks Jack. We will be alright." Jonas smiled bravely. "It'll take time, but we'll carry on."

Everyone ate in silence


	9. Chapter 9

**Interruptions**

**Chapter Nine**

Sam watched the wormhole disengage from the control room and sighed. Jonas hadn't been kidding about wanting to leave ASAP. It was the same day, and he had just left, along with Shaya and Carrisa. Shaya's injury was not serous and would heal quickly, so Jonas had decided to go back to Kelowna. Sam hoped they'd be alright. Despite his assurances, Sam still worried for him. She checked her watch. 1724. She should go home and find something to wear to dinner. Dinner with Jack. She smiled to herself.

"Um, Colonel?" A tentative voice said.

"Yes Walter?" Sam said.

"The dialling computer just froze."

"Froze?" Sam turned her attention to the computer.

"I was trying to dial P7Y-219 for SG12, but it stopped after the second chevron locked.

Sam looked at the gate. Sure enough, it was stuck mid-dial.

Sam got on the PA. "Sergeant Siler to the control room."

Soon, Siler had arrived, and he and Sam had begun trying to fix the computer.

"Hey, Carter." Jack's voice cut through Sam's thoughts a little while later.

"Sir." She said, gazing up at him from her spot on the floor.

He raised an eyebrow, then looked at his watch.

Sam frowned, confused. Then realised. She looked at her watch. 2117. "Oh no, sir. I'm so sorry. The computer was on the fritz, and I was…"

"Save it Carter." Jack cut her off.

Sam sat up, perhaps a little too fast, without looking around. She whacked her head on the underside of the computer bench. Hard. She immediately fell back, hand coming up to rub her head. She pulled her hand away when she felt moisture. She looked at her hand, it was covered in blood. "Damn."

"Damn." Jack agreed, pulling her out from under the bench. "Let's get you to the infirmary."

"I'm fine!" Sam protested, her throbbing head telling another story. "It's just a graze."

"Even so, I'm taking you to the infirmary." Jack said, marching her from the control room. He turned to Siler as they left. "Don't expect her back."

"I need to fix the computer, sir!" Sam said.

"Not tonight you don't." Jack said, grabbing a handkerchief and pressing it to Sam's forehead to stem the blood flow.

When they arrived in the infirmary, Dr Lam walked over. "What happened?" She asked.

"I bumped my head." Sam said.

"She _whacked_ her head." Jack said, emphasising the word whacked.

"Ah." The doctor pulled the now blood soaked hanky from Sam's forehead and inspected it.

"That's going to need a few stitches." She said.

Sam grimaced.

"Take a seat." Dr Lam said, indicating an empty bed, as she walked over to her supplies to get what she needed.

Sam looked at Jack. "It's too late to go out, isn't it?"

He nodded. "Especially just after you've got stitches."

Sam managed a weak laugh. "I'm really sorry."

Jack smiled. "There's always tomorrow."

Sam smiled in return. "Yeah."

Dr Lam then returned and proceeded to stitch up Sam's head. "Okay, all done. Now go home and rest."

"I'll drive you." Jack said.

"Thanks." Sam said, and they left the infirmary.

Sam jumped into the passenger seat of Jack's truck. Wow, she was actually in Jack's truck. She smiled contentedly.

"So, you wanna pick up some food on our way?" Jack asked.

Sam looked confused.

"Well, we can't go out. Doesn't mean we can't stay in." Jack reasoned.

Sam grinned. "Sounds good."

"What do you want then?" Jack asked.

"I don't mind, whatever you want." Sam replied.

"Okay, pizza it is." Jack said.

After picking up some pizza, Jack proceeded to drive to Sam's house and then help her from the car. He carried the pizzas inside and placed them on the kitchen counter. "So… food?"

Sam smiled. "You really do think about food all the time."

"As I said, not all the time." He grinned seductively. "I think about you a lot."

Sam blushed. "Can't imagine why."

Jack walked over to Sam, cupping her face in his hands. "It's 'cause you're amazing. And I love you."

Sam smiled, a sweet, gentle smile, and Jack kissed her. She kissed him back, her hands joining around his neck. He deepened the kiss, his tongue asking for permission to enter her mouth. She parted her lips, and allowed their tongues to meet.

Almost reluctantly, Jack pulled away, drawing a disapproving moan from Sam.

"Food." He said gently. "Or it's gonna get cold."

Sam sighed."We can eat in front of the TV."

"Okay." Jack replied. "Got any Simpsons DVDs?"


	10. Chapter 10

**Interruptions**

**Chapter Ten**

**A/N: This is a very emotionally based chapter, lots of talking, not much action, but I think a chapter like this is necessary, and I quite enjoyed writing it.**

For the second morning in a row, Sam woke up wrapped in Jack's arms. She relaxed into him and smiled to herself. While she had loved this man for years, this still seemed surreal, as though it could end at any moment.

"You're thinking again." Jack murmured.

"Don't I always?" Sam replied.

"Hmm."

Sam pressed her face into Jack's chest. "I still can't really believe that you're here. With me."

"Just like I can't really believe you chose me out of any man in the world. In the universe even. There have got to be heaps of guys younger, smarter, and better looking than me." Jack replied.

Sam shook her head, her hair brushing Jack's bare chest. "No. I could never find someone better than you, someone who I love more than I love you." She pulled away and sat up, gazing down at Jack. "You are the most complicated man I've ever met, and you've got issues and problems, but that doesn't bother me. Because I know that you're a good man, a man who puts others before himself, a man who would sacrifice himself to save his team. A man who would unwillingly become a Tok'ra, because I asked, because I couldn't bear to see him die. A man who considers the lives of everyone on this planet and who saves them all. A man who, although he knew it would kill him eventually, let the knowledge of the Ancients be downloaded into his brain to find a way to save the Earth once again." Sam had tears in her eyes at this point as she recalled the sight of Jack, frozen in a stasis pod in Antarctica.

Jack sat up and wrapped his arms around her. "It's okay." He murmured. "That's all in the past."

"You have no idea what it was like for me, seeing you, frozen, unable to move, just staring down at me, not knowing if I'd ever see you alive again."

"I do actually." Jack replied.

"You… you do?"

"It was a couple of years after the programme started. When the SGC was infected with that alien entity, that took you over. God, Sam, I shot you, I… I killed you. Your body was just lying there, you were brain dead, I didn't know what I was going to do. You were gone, you were just gone, and I knew I'd missed an opportunity to rebuild my life. I went to destroy the nest, and it started talking…"

"I'm here." Sam whispered, echoing the words from years earlier.

"I felt hope like I'd never felt before, and seeing you open your eyes again… I had a reason to keep going."

They sat in silence after that, holding each other, occasional tears falling from both their eyes.

"After I was kidnapped by Fifth, while you were still in stasis, he put me into a virtual reality where I was living on a farm with Pete. He tried to convince me that it was real. That I would be happy. It was really then I realised that I wasn't going to be happy with Pete. And that, seeing as you were frozen, with no way for anyone to help you, I was going to be alone for the rest of my life. But I knew I didn't want to stay with Fifth. I convinced him to let me go. And do you know who I saw when I woke up?"

Jack didn't reply, letting Sam continue her story.

"You, I almost thought it was another mind game, but no, it was you, alive and well. I was so happy, maybe, just maybe I wasn't going to be alone after all. Then when my father died… he told me something before he died, he said 'don't let rules stand in your way, you can still have everything you want.' He was a very intelligent man, and not soon after, I broke it off with Pete. I knew we wouldn't be happy. I didn't love him enough." She paused, thinking. "All those years, I thought you were a lost cause, and when you said I should marry Pete, I… I thought you might not love me anymore, if, of course, you ever did. My life changed that day." Sam felt a tear run down her cheek, the she felt one land on her arm. She looked up and saw that Jack too was shedding tears.

"I'm sorry." She said. "I didn't mean to dump this all on you."

Jack smiled down at her. "I'm glad you did. It means I can start to better understand how you feel about everything."

Sam smiled sadly back. "I think being in Kelowna, and seeing all that death reminded me of my mortality. And I don't want to waste more time keeping things from you."

"Thank you." Jack whispered, bending down to kiss her gently.

"For what?"

"Letting me into that complex brain of yours." Jack replied.

Sam kissed him back. "Anytime.

**A/N: A bit of a short chapter, but I think it's a bit heavy, so, the shorter the sweeter. Also, thank you to everyone who takes time out to review, I love getting feedback.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Interruptions**

**Chapter Eleven**

Sam was in the kitchen making coffee when the phone rang.

"Carter." She said when she answered it.

"Colonel, this is Siler. I just wanted you to know that I've fixed the dialling computer, and the gate is up and running."

"That's great Siler." Sam answered. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. How's your head?"

"Slight head ache, but it'll be fine." Sam replied.

"That's good to hear." Siler said. "Well, bye then."

"Goodbye Siler." Sam hung up the phone.

"Siler?"

Sam turned to see Jack standing in the doorway, bare chested. She took in the sight before answering. "Dialling computer is fixed. Gate works again."

"Good to know." Jack replied. "Means my job's not gone obsolete."

Sam smiled. Trust Jack's humour to lighten the mood. "I hope Jonas is going to be alright."

"He'll be fine, Carter." Jack said. "Any war that results in an atomic bomb being dropped will soon be over."

"We only have one example of that."

Jack shrugged. "It's Jonas. He's intelligent, and resourceful. They'll manage."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, I suppose you're right."

"Good, well seeing as we missed going out to dinner last night, what do you say to tonight?" Jack smiled.

"I'd love to, however, I'd rather wait until I don't have stitches in my forehead."

Jack shrugged. "Okay, raincheck then?"

Sam handed him a cup of coffee, then she gave him a kiss. "Definitely."

Sam was sitting in her lab. As usual, she was studying an alien artefact. She looked up when Vala walked in.

"What happened to you?" She asked, seeing the bandage on Sam's forehead.

"Got into a fight with the underside of a desk." Sam replied. "It won."

Vala grimaced sympathetically. "Ouch."

"Yeah."

There was silence. Until…

"What can you tell me about Daniel's wife?"

Sam looked up. "What?"

"I mean, I know she was taken as a host to a Goa'uld, and that she didn't survive, but I don't know much more."

Sam frowned. "Why don't you ask Daniel?"

"I did. He didn't want to talk about it." Vala replied.

"Tell him you'd rather he told you, than someone else."

Vala nodded. "That might work."

"Failing that, tell him you're sure he'd rather you heard it from him than somebody else."

Vala stood. "Thanks Sam."

"No problems." Sam replied, watching the other woman exit the lab. There was definitely something going on there, she thought/ She returned her thoughts to the technology in front of her.

"Space junk." She sighed.

"What is?"

This time it was Cameron Mitchell standing in her doorway.

"This." Sam said, pointing at the thing in front of her. "As far as I can tell, it's like a… a grill, or a toaster."

"Space toaster?"

Sam nodded.

"They have bread in space?" Cam sounded sceptical.

"Casa." Sam reminded him.

"Space corn. Okay, why not space bread?" He made a large shrugging gesture, then smiled. "Oh well, determining that you have a piece of space junk means that you can come play basketball with me, Teal'c, Jackson and Vala."

"There'd be odd numbers." Sam said.

Cam pulled a face. "Ask General O'Neill then."

Sam smiled at the thought of Jack playing basketball. "You know what, I think I will."

"That's the spirit!" Cam said. "Let's go!" He grabbed Sam's arm and dragged her from the lab.

**A/N: Another short chapter. Now that school's started again, it's sometimes hard to find time to write, and to type stories up, for example, it's 10:12 at night, and I should probably be doing my English homework…**


	12. Chapter 12

**Interruptions**

**Chapter Twelve**

Daniel was lying flat on his back on the floor of the gym. Vala was perched on top, her thighs straddling his middle. She'd tackled Daniel to the floor, and had proceeded to remove the basketball from his possession.

"Hey! That's against the rules!" Daniel protested.

"Nobody has pointed out a rule to me that says that a player is not allowed to straddle another in order to gain possession of the ball." Vala said innocently. "Seeing as I'm not from this planet, and therefore never played this game before coming here, I think you have to give me a bit of leeway." She passed the ball to Sam, who then scored a goal, which wasn't hard seeing as everyone was staring at Vala and Daniel.

"Get off me!" Daniel demanded.

Vala sighed dramatically. "I would have thought you'd enjoy this, Daniel."

Daniel blushed, then shoved at Vala with his hands.

She rolled her eyes. "Impatient." She muttered, before standing up and lending Daniel a hand. "So what's the score now?"

"I believe it's seven-nil." Sam said. "To us." She grinned at Vala and her other team mate, Teal'c. The stoic Jaffa who'd loosened up over the years, smiled back.

"Well, I say that last goal didn't count." Said Cam. "Vala cheated."

"She didn't know." Sam said.

"It's common sense!"

"It's an _earth_ game."

"Let's just keep playing shall we?" Asked the third member of Daniel's team. "And now, we're gonna stop going easy on you 'cause your team's got two aliens and two girls."

Sam glared at Jack, who grinned cheekily in return.

"Game on." He said.

They resumed and, true to his word, Jack, Daniel and Cam managed to gain the upper hand on many occasions, and in turn, the lead. Seeing a possible intercept, Sam went for the ball, collided with something hard, and found herself pinned to the floor with Jack on top of her.

"Sorry." He said, but he made no move to get up.

Sam stared at him. "You gonna get up?"

"I dunno, I'm kinda comfy." He grinned.

Sam turned red and chuckled, pushing at Jack's chest with one hand. Reluctantly, Jack stood up, then helped Sam to her feet.

Daniel stared at them curiously. No one said anything.

"So…" It was, as usual, Jack who broke the silence. "Afternoon tea anyone?" He turned to Sam, who'd opened her mouth and said, "No."

"What?" Sam asked.

"No, I really don't always think about food, I just like it."

Sam smiled in return. "I could go for some blue jello right now."

"Hmm, sounds good to me." Vala said, and she dragged Daniel from the gym. Jack shrugged, and left too, followed by Sam, Teal'c and Cam.

Sam closed her eyes as she took a bite of jello. This was probably the best food item on the menu. It was also possibly the childish; except for the Froot Loops at breakfast; and not something a genius would eat, but Sam loved it anyway. She cracked open an eye when she heard Jack laughing.

"What?" She demanded after she swallowed.

"I never understood your attraction to that stuff." He replied.

Sam shrugged, taking another bite. "It's good."

Jack just smiled at her.

Though all of SG1 were in the commissary, Sam and Jack were sitting separately from the others.

"I can't believe I'm finally having a… well, meal, with you alone!" Jack said.

Sam laughed. "Too many interruptions."

"Agreed. I say when you're next on leave, we go somewhere, somewhere that no one else will think to look, and we'll have the time all to ourselves."

Sam smiled. "I like that idea."

"I'm glad."

"Where are we going? Your cabin?" Sam asked.

"No. Not this time, other times, sure. But this time, no. I'll find some place and when I do, I'll let you know." Jack grinned. "It'll be great though."

"I don't doubt it."

"So, when are you on leave next?" Jack asked.

"In three weeks." Sam replied.

"Cool. Well, I'm looking forward to it already." Jack said.

"Me too." Sam answered. She smiled a sweet smile at Jack. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "I love you."

"I love you too, Carter. I really do."


	13. Chapter 13

**Interruptions**

**Chapter Thirteen**

THREE WEEKS LATER

"Well, this sucks."

Cam's eloquently said words echoed Sam's thoughts exactly. She was supposed to be with Jack! On their way to Albany, Western Australia! Instead, she was in an alien prison with Vala. Cam was on the other side of the bars.

"Thank you Cameron!" Vala said. "Those three words served to ease my mind tremendously." She was not happy.

"Look, Teal'c and Jackson are out there, now, trying to get you out of here. Give them a chance."

"And yet you're here, doing…?"

"I thought you might want some company." Cam replied.

Vala sat down. "Why are we in here anyway?" She asked.

"Well, apparently women's lib hasn't got this far yet." Cam said.

"What?"

"Women are treated as inferior. So if a women stand up to a man, acts like his equal, she is going against the law. And despite the fact we're from another planet, the guys here don't really care, so chucked you two in prison for disrespecting and shaming or whatever."

"This is crap." Vala said.

"I agree." Cam said.

They turned to Sam.

"I have plans! I should be on earth, on an aeroplane. On my way to Australia. Not stuck in some stupid alien prison." She sighed. "Just get us out of here, Cam."

"We're trying. We really are."

"Hey! You!" It was a prison guard.

"Who, me?" Cam asked.

"Yes, you. I advise you to leave these traitorous wenches by themselves. Don't let them influence or fool you. It will be the end of you."

Sam turned to Vala. "Traitorous wenches?" She mouthed.

Vala shrugged.

"I was just… telling them that they had been acting vilely and would be punished for it when we return home. Which is when?" Cam asked.

"I am not in any position to release these women." He spat the word as though it was a derisive term. "They will be punished here."

"Yeah… what exactly are you going to do to them?" Cam asked.

"What else? The mandatory punishment is to be stripped naked and publicly flogged."

"Excuse me?" Sam burst out.

"Sam!" Cam hissed under his breath.

Sam held back any further comments.

"Is that not how you punish your women?" The guard asked.

"No." Cam replied. "We… let their husband, or father, depending on if they're married or not, punish them how ever they see fit."

The guard glanced at Sam and Vala. "Are you their husband? Are these your wives?"

Polygamy too? Geez, what next? Sam wondered.

"Uh, no. They're not my wives. But both have husbands on our planet who can capably punish. So, please let us take… these… wenches back to face our punishment system." Cam asked.

The guard was silent. Then, "I'll put your request to the high councillor. He will decide."

"Thanks."

The guard left, and Cam turned to Sam and Vala. "Sorry." He said.

"For what?" Sam asked.

"Calling you wenches, lying my ass off."

Sam shrugged. "You got him to consider releasing us. That's something. Now, for your own safety, and if not, for your mental state, why don't you leave us and find Daniel and Teal'c?"

" 'kay." He said. "Bye."

"Seeya." Vala said.

Sam smiled, then turned to Vala once Cam had left. "Stripped naked and flogged, publicly?!"

Vala shrugged. "It won't get to that… I hope." She added under her breath. "So, tell me about this, 'Australia.' "


	14. Chapter 14

**Interruptions**

**Chapter Fourteen**

Jack arrived at the SGC and made his way to Landry's office.

"Hank." He said as he entered.

"Jack." Hank replied.

"So… I was wondering why Carter hasn't left yet. We're going on vacation you know."

Hank grimaced. "A situation has came up."

"Situation?" Jack asked.

"On SG1's latest mission. It seems that women are not viewed in the best light, and therefore Colonel Carter and Vala have both been thrown in jail." Hank replied.

Jack rolled his eyes.

"Dr Jackson, Colonel Mitchell, and Teal'c are doing their best to have them released."

Jack sat down opposite Hank. "Did you ever read the mission report about the mission we went on, very early on in SG1 history, about the Shavadai?"

"Yes I have." Hank replied.

"Carter could have died. I was close."

"I know Jack." Hank eyed Jack wearily. "We can't just stop our military women from stepping through the gate."

"That's not what I'm suggesting." Jack replied. "I'd like to go and help."

Hank sighed. "Jack, I can't just let you step through the gate whenever you damn well please."

Jack didn't answer.

"Alright, fine." Hank stood. "You gonna gear up or what?"

"I'll be in the gate room in 5." Jack replied.

"I don't know why I let you talk me into these things." Hank sighed.

"It's 'cause I'm just so damn persuasive." Jack replied, grinning.

Jack stepped into the wormhole and found himself on a planet that looked decidedly futuristic. How could such an advanced civilisation treat women so badly? He reached for his radio.

"Daniel, Teal'c, come in please."

"Jack?" Came the confused reply.

"Yo, Danny, where are you?"

"Where are _you?_"

"At the gate."

"…Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you here?"

"I came to help Carter and Vala get out of here."

There was a rush of static as Daniel sighed. "Walk north. You'll get to a building that looks like a hospital, big and white, we're in there."

"A hospital?"

"It _looks _like a hospital, but is in fact a jail."

"Oh. Okay."

Jack began walking. There were buildings everywhere, all big and impressive. People bustled around, shopping, working, all going about their daily business. And all males, Jack noted. No women anywhere. At all. Jack located the building Daniel had directed him to, and found him, Teal'c and Cam talking with an impressive man.

"Daniel."

Daniel turned. "Jack."

"So, having any luck?" Jack asked.

"No."

"They don't wanna free our… wenches." Cam said, with a disgusted look on his face.

"Wenches?" Jack repeated.

Cam nodded.

"Right. And where are said 'wenches'?"

"This way." Cam said, turning around and leading Jack down a hallway, while Daniel and Teal'c continued talking to the other man.

Cam pointed to a cell on the far side of the hall. "That's theirs."

"Thanks." Jack said, walking over to the cell.

Sam was sitting, leaning against the bars, talking to Vala, who was sitting and leaning against the back of the cell. She looked up in surprise at Jack, which caused Sam to turn and look up. She jump to her feet.

"General O'Neill!"

"Carter." He replied. He narrowed his eyes. "Do tell, how do you get yourselves into these sorts of messes?"

Sam rolled her eyes. "I didn't do anything, sir, except be myself."

"Of that I have no doubt."

"Um, hello, hi. Um, are you going to get us out of here?" Vala asked.

Jack turned to look at Vala. "Yeah, eventually."

"Eventually?" Vala asked. "We don't have much time before they decide to drag us out into a public area, strip us naked and flog us. I'd prefer if that didn't happen."

Jack didn't reply straight away. He stood and thought.

"Jack?" Sam spoke quietly.

"Yeah?" He replied, looking at her. "I'll get you out of here. I promise." Then he left the cell.


	15. Chapter 15

**Interruptions**

**A/N: Sorry about the delay, my internet's been screwed up and then I was busy with choir and then I was on holidays. I just got back yesterday from… that's right, Albany! It's so nice in Albany; the weather was really nice, until our last night when we had a thunderstorm, but what a thunderstorm it was! The lighting lit up Mount Melville and it was like daylight. **

**But anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I endeavour to update more often now that my internet is back up and running.**

**Chapter Fifteen**

Sam and Vala were tied to two poles, one each. Men were gathered all around, ready for the spectacle about to take place.

"You can't do this!" Daniel was protesting to the judge. "Let them go!"

"They deserve punishment." The judge replied calmly.

"No they don't! We have different customs on our planet. Women are equal to men!"

There was a collective gasp from the crowd.

"You have yet to provide any good reason for punishment no to take place." The judge said.

Daniel opened his mouth to protest again, but Jack laid a hand on his arm and shot him a look. Daniel shut his mouth. Jack turned to the judge.

"You see her." Jack pointed at Sam.

"Yes."

"Her name is Samantha. And her?" The finger shifted to Vala. "Her name is Vala. They are my friends, our friends, our colleagues. We count on them to help us, to keep us safe, and vice versa. We value them."

"We too value women; they are good trade and possessions."

"No. We don't value women ad possessions. We value them as people. They become best friends, and even soul mates. Someone we were meant to spend the rest of our lives with, in an equal relationship." Jack stared at the judge.

"And do you have such a… woman?"

"Yes." Jack replied, without hesitation. He pointed at Sam. "You see her?"

"Yes."

"That woman is the love of my life. I'd die for her, I live for her. I'd do anything for her. I love her more than anyone. She is unique and special. Samantha is not property. I don't own her. She doesn't have to stay with me if she doesn't want to. I respect her."

Jack's words brought tears to Sam's eyes.

The judge stared at Sam. "Let her go. She has a man.

Sam was untied and shoved roughly at Jack, who caught her before she fell.

"Hey!" Vala said.

"Let Vala go too." Jack said.

"She has no one to lay claim to her." The judge said. "Therefore, she will be punished."

"Oh for cryin' out loud!" Jack exclaimed.

"Fine! I claim her! She's mine!" Daniel's exasperated voice cried out.

Everyone turned to face him.

"Gee thanks." Vala muttered. "Sam gets the 'I love you' speech and I get the "I claim her' line."

Daniel rolled his eyes. "Fine, Vala?"

"Yes?"

He walked over and kissed her. Deeply. "I love you." He said when he pulled back. "It's stupid, but I do."

Vala looked surprised. "Oh… really?"

"Yes."  
She smiled. "I love you Daniel, I really, really do." She kissed him. "Really."

The judge sighed. "Let her go." And Vala too, was freed.

"Thank you." Daniel said.

"Now leave this planet. And don't return with women if you ever come back."

"Somehow I don't think that'll be a problem." Jack replied, coldly, then he turned to SG1. "Well troops, let's go home." He said, walking away with his arm around Sam.

They stepped through the gate and arrived back in the gate room on Earth. Hank looked relieved that SG1 had returned in one piece. He called a debriefing immediately.

Sam sat silently through the debriefing, wishing for it to be over so she and Jack could leave on their holiday.

"I've made the decision that we will not be returning to P7X-722. We can't shuffle our teams around to accommodate for planets with a no women policy." Hank said.

"I agree, Hank." Jack said. He glanced at Sam. "Some of our best people are women, and we can't exclude them because of that fact."

Sam smiled at this point, remembering how hard she'd worked over the years to gain the respect of various men she'd worked with. Jack was not one of the men she'd needed to gain that type of respect from. He'd respected her from day one, being a women didn't diminish his respect.

"Well that's that." Hank said. "P7X-722 is off bounds and this briefing is finished. You're all dismissed."

Jack held out a hand to Sam after Hank had left the room and Sam took it.

"Let's go to Australia!" Jack said.

Sam smiled up at him and stood.

"Have a great holiday guys." Daniel said to them. "Don't do anything stupid."

Sam laughed. "We won't."

Daniel smiled. "I know."

Sam smiled at Daniel, Vala, Mitchell and Teal'c, before she and Jack left the briefing room.

Jack drove Sam to her house so she could quickly pack a bag and then they could depart on their trip to Australia.

"Looking forward to this?" Jack asked.

"You have no idea how much." Sam replied, rummaging through her wardrobe for clothes, which was becoming increasingly difficult as Jack's lips started tracing circles on her neck.

Finally Sam stopped rummaging. "Jack, I can't concentrate with you doing that!"

"Cool." Jack murmured into Sam's skin, then he continued kissing and brushing his lips over her neck.

"Do you want to leave anytime soon?" Sam asked.

"Well, yeah."

"Then stop, please!"

Jack sighed and pulled back.

Sam turned and smiled slyly at him. "Don't feel bad. I did enjoy it."

Jack grinned.


	16. Chapter 16

**Interruptions**

**Chapter Sixteen**

Later that night, Sam and Jack were sitting on an aeroplane. It was a commercial airliner, something Sam nor Jack were used to, seeing as they both normally flew in Air Force planes. Either that or spaceships.

Sam shut her eyes.

"Tired?" Jack asked.

"Been a long day." Sam replied.

"True."

Sam opened one eye and looked at Jack."What you said earlier, that was beautiful."

Jack smiled. "That's how I feel about you. It's how I've always felt about you."

Sam opened the other eye, then leant over and kissed Jack gently. "I would give my life for you. I'd do anything for you. You are my soul mate, Jack. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone." She kissed him again.

"I love you, Samantha."

"I love you too, Jack."

After that, they slept.

Sam woke when the pilot announced that they were coming in to land at Perth International Airport.

"Local time is 9am, the weather is 27 degrees Celcius. For connecting flights both inter-state and within Western Australia, please proceed to the airport shuttle desk."

Sam shook Jack awake. "We're in Australia, Jack!"

"Cool." He replied, yawning.

They sat, Sam staring out the window as the plane came around to land. Roads criss-crossed below them, and Sam saw cars driving along them. Soon the plane landed and Sam looked out at the airport terminal. In the distance she could see the Domestic Terminal.

Once the plane had stopped, Sam, Jack, and the rest of the passengers slowly filed off the plane. They collected their luggage and proceed to through customs. When they were through, Sam found herself looking at a long building, running sideways. The doors were right in front of her and Jack, beyond them was a carpark.

"This way." Jack said, pointing to a booth.

"To our connecting flight." Sam said.

"Yep."

Sam smiled.

They walked over to the booth, and were soon on a shuttle bus running between the International and Domestic airport terminals.

"We're leaving from Gate Two." Sam said, looking at the departures board.

"Right, this way then." Jack said, leading Sam through the terminal. They'd checked their luggage in and were now heading to their next flight. The flight from Perth to Albany was short, just over an hour, and Sam was looking forward to arriving in Albany so she could relax.

"We're here!" Jack said as they found the right gate.

"Great. The plane leaves in an hour." Sam replied.

"Well, let's sit."

"Let's."

Jack shut his eyes, and Sam watched a small plane with 'Skywest' written on the side as it landed and unloaded. She figured that they would be going out on this plane.

The hour slowly passed, and Sam passed the time by observing different people as they travelled through the airport. When the hour was up, Sam and Jack boarded the Skywest plane and were on their way to Albany.

Sitting on the plane, Sam watched the scenery below change. Not long after tae off, they were flying over bush, and then farmland. She decided that Perth was not a very big city, despite the fact it was the largest in Western Australia.

"So, got any plans for what you want to do when we get there?" Jack asked.

"Pick up our hire car, find our hotel, and relax." Sam replied. "Sight see, act like a perfectly normal couple in love. Not like our jobs are… what they are. I want to forget about that for the next week."

"Sounds like a great idea." Jack smiled.

Sam stared out the window again. More farmland. "There's lots of farmland here." She said to Jack.

"Yeah?" Jack leant over to see out the window as well. "So there is."

A little while later, they landed at Albany Airport. A bus took them from the airport into town. The airport was about ten kilometres out of town, and Sam noticed that it was all bush on the sides of the road, until they were about five kilometres out of town. Then the houses started. They passed the Albany raceway and the cinema. After the houses came the businesses. A Bunnings Warehouse, A Muzz Buzz coffee shop, and many car yards were on either side of the highway as the approached a large roundabout. There were five roads coming off this roundabout. Sam discovered that they were on the Albany Highway. To her left, Chesterpass Road led to Esperance, to the right, Hanrahan Road led to Frenchmen Bay. In front, North Road led to Emu Point and Middleton Beach, and the other end of the Albany Highway led to the Albany town centre. They exited the roundabout on North Road, and Sam watched as they passed a church anda small shopping centre. On the other side of the road was a sporting oval.

They turned right and began to wind their way through some back streets before stopping at the car hire shop.

Sam thanked the bus driver as she and Jack got off the bus.

"Have a good holiday." The driver said.

"Thanks, I'm sure we will." Sam replied, smiling.


	17. Chapter 17

**Interruptions**

**Chapter Seventeen**

The man who ran the hire place was nice to Hack and Sam, and soon they were equipped with a car and were ready to go. He gave them a map and explained the easiest way to get to where they were staying. Sam chose to drive, seeing as she'd had some previous experience with driving on the left hand side of the road. It still felt weird though. Jack elected to navigate.

"Okay, this is Lockyer Avenue." He announced when they emerged onto a street lined with shops. "Go right and head towards town centre."

Sam noticed a house in amongst all the industrial shops. It was next to a pet shop, and seemed very out place. She kept driving. They came to another roundabout.

"Roundabouts are popular here." Jack said. "And there are no traffic lights. This is the top of York Street." He continued. "Main street of town."

They drove down York Street. Shops lined either side of the street. Restaurants were dispersed between. The town hall was about halfway down, and a bit further was another church, St John's Anglican Church, and the town's War Memorial. At the bottom of York Street was the harbour, and a foreshore development seemed to be underway.

"Turn left." Jack said. "Onto Stirling Terrace."

Sam did. "Where are we going?" She asked.

"We're exploring." Jack replied. He looked out the window. More restaurants. One caught his eyes. "Dylans, we should go there at some point."

"Yeah." Sam replied. "Keep directing."

So Jack did.

Eventually they arrived at their hotel.

"Well, looks nice." Jack said as he got out of the car.

"Yeah, it does." Sam replied.

They checked in and dumped their luggage in their room. There was one bed. Sam sat on it. "Comfy." She said.

Jack sat next to her. "Yeah. That's good. I like comfy beds."

Sam smiled at him. "So what now?"

Jack shrugged, stood up, and retrieved the map he'd received. He laid it on the bed.

"Okay, we're here." He pointed to their hotel, close to the centre of town. "Pick somewhere you wanna go."

Sam stared at the map, then looked at Jack. "Let's go for a drive." She pointed at the map. "We can park somewhere and walk up the main street of town."

Jack nodded. "Sound's good."

So they hopped in the car and drove. Emu Point was a small beach, with a U-shaped jetty situated just off shore. Children of all ages were running along it and jumping from it into the water. There was also a grassy area and a playground. It seemed to be a popular place. Next they drove to the other end of the city to Middleton Beach. This beach was longer, and you could walk all the way from Emu Point to Middleton Beach. Sam continued to drive up, and around Mt Adelaide to the Princess Royal Harbour. Finally they reached the bottom end of the main street, York Street. Sam parked in an empty bay, and she and Jack began to walk up the street. Sam noticed that the shops were small, and there were many different kinds. As they were walking, Sam felt Jack slip his hand into hers, slipping his fingers between hers. She smiled to herself. It had been a while since she'd walked around in public, hand in hand, with anyone.

Once they reached the top of York Street, they turned, crossed the road, and walked back down. There was a service station, proclaiming unleaded petrol to be 127.5 cents per litre. They passed a park next to the town library; they passed the town hall, and the Anglican Church. There also more shops. When they hopped back into the car, Sam grinned.

"I like it here. It's nice, it's small, it's…"

"Australian?" Jack filled in.

Sam turned her smile to Jack. "Yes."

"Glad you like it. I like it too." Jack smiled back at her. "How about we find somewhere to have dinner, then call it a night. Tomorrow we can explore more."

Sam nodded. "I like that idea."


	18. Chapter 18

**Interruptions**

**Chapter Eighteen**

The next day, Sam and Jack drove to Denmark, a small town about half an hour away from Albany. They visited the markets that were held once a month. They spent the day wandering around, checking out the small shops and the town. Late in the afternoon, the returned to Albany and relaxed at their hotel. The next day, the went to Mount Barker. Mt Baker was another small town, also half an hour from Albany. Albany, Denmark and Mt Barker form an almost perfect triangle, each half an hour away from each other. They made up three towns in the Great Southern Wine Region. Sam and Jack visited a few different wineries, including Gallifrey, Plantagenet, and West Cape Howe, which was in Denmark. Again in the afternoon, they returned to Albany. They were in sitting on the balcony of their hotel room when Jack said, "Let's go out tonight. Let's go to Middleton Beach and walk along the boardwalk. We can have an early dinner, then go for a walk. Daylight Savings means the sun doesn't go down 'til at least 2030 hours."

"Half past eight." Sam said. "Let's forget military speak."

Jack smiled, then leant over to kiss Sam. "Of course."

"Anyway, sound's like a plan." Sam said. "What are we doing for dinner then?"

Jack grinned. "I've already made a reservation."

"You do? Where?" Sam asked.

"The Venice, down on York Street. I noticed it the other day, and it seemed nice, so I made a reservation."

Sam smiled. "And you didn't consult me?"

Jack shrugged.

Sam laughed and shook her head. "So what time's the reservation?"

"1730 – uh, half past five." Jack corrected himself.

"Okay, so we've got half an hour to get ready then." Sam said.

"Yeah, it's not too fancy, so wear whatever's comfortable." Jack said.

"Okay." Sam replied as she disappeared into the hotel room, leaving Jack sitting on the balcony.

The restaurant turned out to be an Italian place, so Sam and Jack shared a large pizza.

"That was good." Sam said when they'd finished eating.

"It was." Jack agreed.

"So, we're going walking, are we?" Sam asked.

"Yes we are." Jack replied, standing up. He and Sam walked over to the counter to pay.

"Did you enjoy your meal, sir?" The waitress asked in a crisp Australian accent.

"We did, thank you." Jack replied.

The waitress smiled. "Well, have a nice evening."

"Thanks." Sam said, and they left.

They drove to Middleton Beach, and parked, before beginning the boardwalk. The boardwalk follows the water around the point and up to the road. It was a pleasant walk, and Sam and Jack stopped numerous times to look at King George Sound. From the lookouts they could see the two mountain ranges, the Porongurup's, and the Stirling Ranges.

"It's beautiful." Sam sighed.

"Yes." Jack agreed. Once they reached the end, they turned to walk back to Middleton Beach.

"Hey look." Jack pointed out a path coming off the side of the boardwalk, partly covered by bush.

"It's a path." Sam said.

"Let's check it out." Jack said.

Sam shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

They left the boardwalk and followed the path. It led to an old brick house, crumbling ruins, not far from the ocean.

"Wow." Sais Sam.

There was a sign explaining why the house was built, and why it was there.

"Hey Sam, go sit on that wall and I'll take a picture." Jack said, brandishing the camera.

Sam sighed, but went and sat. she didn't particularly like being in photos, but it was Jack asking.

Jack took a photo, then walked over to her. The wall Sam was sitting on was not very tall, but tall enough that, standing in front of her, Jack had to look up into Sam's face. He stared at her intently. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small black box. He opened it, and Sam's eyes widened.

"Oh my God." She said. "Jack?"

Taking hold of Sam's left hand, Jack smiled at her.

"Samantha Carter?"

"Yes?"

"Will you do me the honour of marrying me, and becoming my wife?" Jack continued to stare Sam in the eyes. Eyes which we rapidly tearing up.

"Oh my God." Sam said again. She blinked away the tears. "Jack, of course, yes, of course I'll marry you."

Jack grinned and slipped the ring onto Sam's finger. Then he leant up and kissed her. Sam wrapped her arms, and her legs, around Jack and kissed him back.

"Oh God, I love you." Jack said between kisses.

Sam kept kissing him.

Eventually Sam dropped her legs from Jack's waist and pulled away. The sun was starting to go down. She grinned. "We're engaged!"

"Yeah!" Jack grinned too.

"I love you so much." Sam said.

Jack wrapped his arms around her. "I love you more."

Slowly they made their way back to the boardwalk. It was almost dark, and there was no-one else walking. There was a flash of light up ahead.

"Was that lightening?" Jack asked.

"No, there's no clouds." Sam replied.

"Didn't think so. So then, what was that light?"

They rounded the corner, then saw the source of the light.

"Oh for cryin' out loud." Jack muttered. Then he spoke up. "Vacation. Private. Me. Sam. No-one else."

"Yeah, we're fine. And how are you?" Daniel replied.

"Pissed that you're here."

"Well, I knew he'd be mad, but this is not what I expected." Vala said to Daniel.

"No. Neither." Daniel replied.

"What are you guys doing here?" Sam asked.

"Well, it was either that or beam you up unexpectedly." Daniel said. "You need to come back."

Sam sighed. They happy, tingly feeling inside her dropping a little. "Why?"

"Well… something's come up. Can't discuss it here."

Jack rolled his eyes.

"We've already beamed up your stuff." Daniel said. "Now we just need you."

"What about out hotel bill, and our hire car." Jack asked.

"We'll get someone to deal with it later. Now, we're being beamed up, well…"

There was a flash of light, and they were suddenly aboard one of their ships.

"…Now." Daniel finished.

"So, what's going on?" Jack asked.

"Well, Teal'c went to Chulak for his break, and Mitchell decided to go too. All was fine apparently, until Mitchell was kidnapped."

"Kidnapped? By whom?" Sam asked.

Daniel shrugged. "Teal'c's been following them. So far, Mitchell's been moved to over five different planets."

Sam sighed. "Great. So we have to go rescue him."

"Pretty much." Daniel replied. He looked at Sam and Jack. "So… how was your holiday?"

Neither Sam nor Jack answered the question.


	19. Chapter 19

**Interruptions**

**A/N: This chapter marks the longest story I've ever written now. **_**Fragile**_** was 18 chapters. I'm rather proud of myself now. It's becoming more and more difficult to write about Vala and Mitchell, as I've been watching a lot of Farscape in the last few weeks. Seeing Ben Browder and Claudia Black in Stargate is now weird. But I enjoy it all the same.**

**Chapter Nineteen**

Sam and Vala were in the women's locker room, gearing up for their 'rescue Mitchell' mission. Sam looked down at her left hand, at the diamond Jack had placed there, mere hours earlier. It may be dark in Australia, but not in Colorado Springs. Sam sighed and slipped the ring off her finger. She pulled off her dog tags, and slid the ring onto the chain, placing it back over her neck.

"What's that?" Vala asked.

"My dog tags." Sam replied.

"No, not the dog tags, what you put on the chain with them." Vala replied.

Sam pulled the chain out from under her clothes. "It's a ring."

Vala inspected it closely, then looked up at Sam suspiciously. "This is an engagement ring, isn't it?"

Sam grinned. "Yes."

Vala's face split into a grin as well. "Sam! Why didn't you tell me?"

Sam shrugged. "It didn't seem like an appropriate time. We're worrying about Cam, not getting excited about me."

"We can do both! Look, I'm doing both right now!" Vala tried to suppress the grin, but failed. Then she gave Sam a huge hug. "Congratulations!"

"Why congratulations?"

Sam and Vala turned. Daniel was standing in the doorway.

"Do the words 'women's locker room' mean anything to you Daniel?" Vala asked.

"Yes, you'll notice I'm not actually _in_ the room." Daniel replied. "So, why congratulations?"

"Sam's getting married!" Vala squealed.

Daniel grinned at Sam. "Really?"

Sam nodded.

Daniel, ignoring the fact about women's locker rooms, walked over and enveloped Sam in a hug. "Finally." He said.

"Finally?" Sam asked.

Daniel pulled back, still grinning. "He finally asked you."

Sam frowned in confusion.

"Daniel, stop confusing my fiancée." This time it was Jack in the women's locker room. "It isn't nice."

Daniel turned, and grasped Jack's hand, shaking rigorously. "Congratulations." He turned to Sam. "Both of you."

"Yes, well, let's celebrate after we've rescued Mitchell."

"You're coming with us, sir?" Sam asked. Some habits never die.

Jack raised an eyebrow. "'Sir'?"

"I'm sorry, let me rephrase. Are you coming with us, Jack?" Sam placed a lot of emphasis on his name.

"Yes Samantha, I'm coming with you." Jack grinned.

"Well, I hate to interrupt, but we should be going. Landry'll get irritated if we're late." Daniel's voice brought both Sam and Jack back to the present.

"Yes, let's. Then when we get back we can celebrate, and eat cake." Jack led the way out of the room. Sam shook her head and followed.

Daniel glanced at Vala, who raised an eyebrow at him. He sighed and stuck out his hand. Vala smiled and placed her hand in his. Together they walked to the gate room.

"Well, let's first find Teal'c, then locates and rescue Mitchell." Jack was directing. "Daniel, Vala, go to the village, see if they know anything about whoever took Mitchell. Carter, you're with me. Stay in radio contact. Move out."

Daniel and Vala disappeared off to the village.

"So, Jack, what's the plan?" Sam still had trouble calling him Jack, especially while they were off world and she was once again his subordinate officer.

"Find Teal'c, rescue Mitchell, go home, eat cake, make love to you." He replied.

Sam stared at him.

"Simple really." Jack shrugged, then grinned at Sam. He gave her a gentle kiss.

"Simple." She replied weakly.

"Okay. Teal'c." Jack said, pulling away from Sam. He looked around. "You know, Teal'c was always the better tracker than I."

"O'Neill. Colonel Carter."

"Although…" Jack smiled and turned to Teal'c. "T! How's it going?"

"Colonel Mitchell is currently being held in a small building just beyond the edge of the village." Teal'c answered. "He is being held by a woman. I am unsure as to why she chose to capture Colonel Mitchell."

Jack sighed. "Can you take us there?"

Teal'c answered with an inclination of his head. "It is this way." He turned, and Sam and Jack followed him towards the village.

Situated just outside the village was a tiny hut. According to Teal'c, this was where Cam was being held. As the small group watched, a woman, tall, brunette, and very thin, exited the hut. She glanced around, then left, striding towards the village.

"Okay, Teal'c, follow her. Stop her from coming back. Sam, you and I are going to bust Mitchell out of there."

Teal'c inclined his head, then left, discretely following the woman.

"Okay, let's move." Jack smiled at Sam. She smiled back.

"Let's." She agreed.

They ran towards the hut, and Sam picked the lock. Entering the room of the hut, she realised that it must have been a while since Cam had last had a shower, or bathed. Or something.

"You took your time."

Sam turned. Chained to a wall, wearing nothing but his, now rather grimy, boxers, was Cameron Mitchell.

"I was on holiday." Sam replied, amusement glittering in her eyes.

"Don't. just… don't, say anything." Cam said.

Sam suppressed a smile as she unchained him. "I suppose I should of have thought to bring spare clothes. Seeing as you're always losing your pants." She chuckled.

"Yes, very funny." Cam said. "Let's get out here. I'm so ready to go home and sleep."

"And shower." Sam added.

Cam glared at her.

"Just saying."

Jack didn't say anything when Sam exited the hut followed by a scantily clad Mitchell.

Sam was still trying not to laugh. "We should call the others and go home." She said.

Jack nodded, then grabbed his radio. "Teal'c, what have you got?"

"It appears that the woman has purchased some garments. She is still in the village."

"Roger that, we'll meet you there."

"Understood."

"Daniel? Vala? Got anything?" Jack asked.

"Nothing." Daniel replied. "These people haven't a clue about anybody who comes through the gate. They just don't care."

"Okay, meet up with Teal'c, yeah? We'll meet you there."

"Okay."

"O'Neill out." Jack stowed his radio into his vest pocket. "Well, let's go."


	20. Chapter 20

**Interruptions**

**Chapter Twenty**

They cornered the mysterious woman as she was exiting a tavern. She looked at them suspiciously, then she noticed Cam and frowned.

"Who are you?" Jack asked. "Why'd you kidnap him?" He nodded towards Cam.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." The woman replied.

"You got a name?"

"Yes."

Jack waited, then asked. "Well, what is it?"

She didn't answer.

"It's Aliana." Cam said.

"Ah, Aliana. Well, I'm O'Neill, this is Carter, Teal'c, Daniel, Vala, and you already know Mitchell."

She glared at him.

"What? I stole your prisoner?"

"He's not a prisoner." Aliana snapped.

"He's not?"

"I'm not?"

Jack and Cam spoke at the same time.

"That's odd," Sam said. "Seeing as he was chained up when we found him."

"To stop him from running away!"

"Exactly! Prisoner!" Jack replied.

Aliana's face fell. "I just wanted somebody who would be my friend, my family. I…I don't have anybody."

"So why kidnap? Why not go out and meet somebody?" Sam asked.

"I try. But wherever I go people just look through me. It's as though I'm not there." Aliana's eyes filled with tears.

"Hmm." Jack said. "Well, sorry to spoil your plans, but we're taking Mitchell with us and we're going home. We've got celebrating to do."

"Celebrating?" Cam asked.

"You didn't hear? Carter's agreed to marry me!" Jack grinned at Sam.

"Wow." Cam said.

"I am extremely happy for you O'Neill, Colonel Carter." Said Teal'c. "This is very good news."

"Thanks T." Jack said.

"Congratulations Sam, General." Cam grinned. "A wedding! I love weddings!"

"Um, excuse me?"

Everyone turned back to Aliana.

"Am I allowed to go, or are you going to punish me, or…?" She trailed off.

Jack looked at Cam. "She hurt you at all?"

Cam shook his head.

Jack shrugged. "You can go. Don't go kidnapping any more guys."

Aliana smiled. "Thank you." Then sh was gone.

Jack shook his head. "Well, that was easy. Let's go home."

There was a few raised eyebrows when SG1 returned, mostly at Can, who was wearing a shhet'like thing. No-one on SG1 had bought spare clothes on this mission, so Cam was stuck with the local attire. They'd found him some cloth and one of the kind local women had helped Cam get it on. He was now looking forward to removing it, having a shower, and sleeping for a week.

Sam grinned at him and laughed.

"Shut up." He replied.

She obliged, and began laughing silently.

"So, engaged huh?" Cam asked, changing the subject.

Sam nodded, and smiled happily.

"Welcome back SG1." Said Hank. "You're all on down time until tomorrow morning at 0600 hours." He glanced at Jack. "Excluding you Jack, you're free to do whatever it is you do."

Jack smiled. "Why thanks, Hank."

Hank rolled his eyes. "You're all dismissed."

So together, SG1, past and present, left the gate room, headed to the locker room to get rid of their gear and wind down.


	21. Chapter 21

**Interruptions**

**Chapter Twenty-One**

_FOUR MONTHS LATER_

"No, I ordered lilies, not roses… yes I'm sure… no I won't change my mind… I'm not paying for what I don't want." Sam rolled her eyes as she listened to the florist chatter on about roses. She was sitting in her lab, feet on the desk, leaning back in her chair, on the phone.

Vala walked in and grinned at Sam.

Sam pointed to the phone, mouthed the word 'flowers', then rolled her eyes again.

"No… I told you I ordered lilies, I expect to get them." She listened, then gave an exasperated sigh. "You're not listening to me!"

At this pointed Vala grabbed the phone from Sam and placed it to her ear. "Yes, hello, this is Vala Mal Doran, and I believe Samantha ordered lilies for her wedding. If you are unwilling to provide them, then we will take our service elsewhere." She listened, then smiled. "Yes, it is a pleasure doing business with you, too. Goodbye." She hung up.

Sam raised an eyebrow.

"You're getting your lilies." Vala said.

Sam smiled. "Thanks."

"Anytime." Vala replied.

Sam bought her hands up to cover her face. "I'm getting married in six weeks!"

Vala grinned. "I know. Isn't it wonderful?"

Sam dropped her hands. "Yes, it is great."

"But?"

"But, I'm nervous, and Jack's in Washington at the moment, so I can't talk to him face to face. I'm organising so much without him, what if he doesn't like it?"

Vala gave Sam a hug. "He will. Don't worry. He loves you, so to him, whatever you do will be perfect."

"I guess I'm being stupid." Sam said.

"Not stupid." Vala said. "You're being a bride. A woman. NOT a military officer."

"I'm always a military officer." Sam answered.

Vala shook her head. "No, you're not. You don't have to be. Just be Samantha Carter, the woman. Not Samantha Carter, the colonel." Vala replied.

"That's good advice." Said Daniel, who had appeared in the doorway.

Vala grinned and went over to kiss him. He kissed her passionately back.

"Geez, not in my lab! Get a room." Sam said.

Daniel glared at her.

She shrugged innocently.

"How's your wedding plans coming along?" Daniel asked.

"Slowly." Sam replied. "I've done most of it, but I still need someone to give me away, and most importantly,I need a dress."

"You don't have a dress?" Valla asked.

Sam shook her head.

"That's it. You and I are going shopping." Vala said. "We'll go to Denver. Better shops there, more choice."

Sam nodded.

"Tomorrow." Vala said. "And we don't come back 'til we've found a dress."

Daniel smiled. "Girl time. Have fun."

"We will." Vala replied. "Lots."

Sam smiled too. "Tomorrow it is then."

Sam found herself trailing behind Vala as the day progressed. Vala was currently rummaging through more wedding dresses in the third bridal store they'd visited.

"How about this?" Vala held up a strapless dress, with a very fluffy skirt.

Sam grimaced.

"No?"

"I'm not into the whole big skirt thing, I'd rather something more… fitted. With straps." Sam replied.

"Can I be of assistance?" It was a shop attendant.

"Sure." Vala said. "She needs a wedding dress." She pointed at Sam, who gave a small smile.

The attendant smiled at Sam. "Okay, so what sort of dress are you looking for?"

"I really don't know." Sam replied. "I don't want strapless, and I don't want something big and puffy."

The attendant nodded. "Okay, let's have a look shall we?"

For the next two hours, she had Sam trying on dress after dress. There were a lot of nice dresses, but none seemed right.

"I also want something I know Jack will like." Sam said to Vala at one point.

"Jack's your husband to be?" The attendant, whose name was Ashly, asked.

"Yes." Sam replied.

"Is he good looking?"

"It'd be wrong of me to say no, but yes, he is." Sam replied.

"Very." Added Vala. "And he is perfect for Sam."

Sam smiled at Vala. "Thanks."

"And he'll think you look gorgeous no matter what." Vala continued.

Sam smiled again. "That's true. But I still want something he'll like."

Ashly, who wandered off during the last part of the conversation, returned with another dress. "How about this?" She held it up for Sam and Vala to inspect.

"It's beautiful." Vala said, turning to Sam. "Try it."

Sam took the dress and slipped into the change room. She got into the dress, then walked out so Ashly could make sure she was wearing it correctly.

The look on Vala's face told Sam she'd found the right dress

As Ashly laced up the back, Sam checked out the rest of the dress. The dress was a halter neck, with thin straps. It hugged Sam's figure nicely, and Sam liked that. The top part covering Sam's chest had intricate designs embroidered into it. There was a strip of lace winding it's way from the waist down to the hem of the dress. The back was plunging, open to Sam's waist, and had straps running in a criss-cross pattern holding it in place.

"Wow Sam. That is fantastic. You look wonderful!" Vala grinned at Sam. "I think this is your dress."

"So do I." Sam replied. "It's beautiful."

"Will your fiancé like it?" Ashly asked.

Sam nodded, still looking at her reflection.

"You don't wear dresses much, do you?" Ashly asked.

"Not often." Sam replied. "I'm normally in my BDU's."

"BDU's?"

"I'm Air Force. It's my uniform."

"Oh. Must be nice to wear normal clothes then."

"Yeah, though it saves me the hassle of deciding what to wear in the morning. The subtotal of my choices, is whether I should wear blue or green."

Vala chuckled. "There's always people in both."

"You AF too?" Ashly asked.

Vala shook her head. "No, I just work on base, civilian employee."

"Well, getting back on topic. I'm getting this dress." Sam said, walking back to the change room. She changed back into her street clothes, then paid for her dress, and, after thanking Ashly, she and Vala left.


	22. Chapter 22

**Interruptions**

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

Sam arrived home, and hung her dress away. She'd either have to move it, or move Jack's stuff when he came to Colorado Springs next. She shut the wardrobe door, and the phone rang. Picking it up, she plonked herself onto the bed.

"Carter." She said.

"Hey gorgeous."

Sam grinned. "Hey sexy."

"How's it going?" Jack asked.

"Oh, alright." Sam replied. "I bought my dress today."

"Really? Am I gonna like it?"

"It's too bad if you don't." Sam answered. Then she laughed. "I think you'll like it."

"I know I will. It's got you in it. I can't not like something that's got you in it." Jack replied.

Sam rolled her eyes.

"You just rolled your eyes, didn't you?" Jack asked.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Sam replied.

"Yeah, well, you're forgetting that I spent seven years in the field with you. I know your mannerisms, no matter how well you think you hid them from me."

Sam didn't respond to that statement, instead choosing to change to subject. "Have you got a best man yet?"

"Yeah, I asked Daniel. He jumped at the opportunity."

Sam smiled to herself. Then sighed.

"What's up?" Jack asked.

"If this had been a few years ago, Janet would have been my maid of honour, and Dad would've walked me down the aisle."

"Yeah."  
There was silence over the connection for a few minutes.

"Who are you going to get to walk you down the aisle?" Jack asked.

"I'm going to ask Teal'c." Sam replied.

"Good idea." Jack said.

"But what about Cam, he'd be left out entirely."

"Let him walk with Cassie." Jack replied.

"That's a good idea."

"Yeah, I'm good with ideas sometimes."

Sam chuckled. "Yes you are."

Jack sighed. "I've got to go. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Yeah. I love you Jack."

"I love you more." Jack replied.

"Oh sure, I don't think so."

"I do." Jack laughed.

"Okay, I love you, as much as you love me." Sam compromised.

"Okay, I can live with that. If I could multiply a number by infinity, which I know I can't, but that's beside the point; that's how much I love you."

Sam grinned. "I'll talk to you tomorrow Jack."

"Love you."

"Love you too."

Smiling, Sam hung up the phone.

The next day, Sam found Teal'c in his quarters. She knocked on his door.

"Enter." He said.

Sam opened the door and walked in.

"Colonel Carter. How can I help you?"

"Teal'c, I have a favour to ask you." Sam said.

Teal'c inclined his head, listening.

"I was wondering if, for the wedding, you'd walk me down the aisle."

Teal'c blinked a few times, his way of expressing emotion. "Is that not something a family member usually does?" He asked.

"Well, yeah, but you are family Teal'c. Part of the dysfunctional family that is SG1." Sam smiled at him. "You've been my friend for over ten years, and I'd really like it if you walked me down the aisle."

Teal'c smiled back at Sam. "I would be honoured Samantha."

"Thank you." Sam replied.

"You are most welcome." Teal'c replied.

Sam turned to leave, but turned back. "Do you know where I can find Cam?"

"I believe he is in the gymnasium." Teal'c replied.

"Thanks."

Cam was happy to be included in the wedding, even in a small way.

"Thanks Sam. I feel honoured that you would choose to let me have a part in your wedding." He gave Sam a hug. "Can't wait."

Sam smiled. "Nor can I. I'm getting married! I never used to think that would happen."

"No?"

"No. a lot of guys I had an interest in died." Sam said.

Cam frowned. "What?"

"They were… mostly aliens. Except Pete." She sighed. "I almost married him, before I decided it was a mistake. I could never make him happy."

"I'm sorry." Cam said.

Sam shrugged. "It's all in the past now. And I'm about to marry the love of my life. The man I've loved for almost a decade."

"Wow." Cam laughed. "With all the rules SG1 broke in your early years, you never broke the frat regs?"

Sam shook her head. "We valued our jobs too much."

"Over each other?"

"Because of each other, I think. I don't think I could've quit and continued to let Jack go through the gate. I'd get too worried. At least if I was out there too, even if we weren't in a relationship, I could look out for him." Sam smiled. "Sorry to dump all this on you."

"No problems." Cam replied. "It's like a soap opera. Instead of The Bald and the Beautiful, you get The Gate and the People Who Go Through It." He grinned.

Sam rolled her eyes and laughed.


	23. Chapter 23

**Interruptions**

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

_FIVE WEEKS LATER_

"Okay, the ceremony'll start when the music begins."

Sam was listening to the woman who'd organised the ceremony. This was a practice, so they'd know what to do on the day of the wedding. Only one week to go! Unfortunately, Jack wasn't able to attend as he was busy in Washington.

"Once the music begins, Cassandra and Cameron will process down the aisle, and take their seats in the front row."

Everyone watched as Cassie and Cam did so.

"When they reach the halfway point on their walk down the aisle, the Maid of Honour will begin her walk."

Cam and Cassie walked back to the start of the aisle so they could do it again, this time with Vala walking down the aisle too.

The organiser, Shelby, smiled at Sam. "Then it's your turn!"

Sam smiled in return.

"When Vala reached the halfway point, you start with Murray."

They'd decided Teal'c should be known as Murray for the ceremony, seeing as he'd used the alias several times whilst in public.

"Places!" Shelby called, and everyone went to where they were supposed to be.

They heard music beginning to play, and Cassie and Cam started walking slowly down the aisle. Vala followed. When Vala reached the halfway point, Sam and Teal'c started.

That's when Sam's phone rang. Everyone stopped to stare at her.

"Sorry." She said, before answering. "Carter."

"Colonel."

"General."

"We have a bit of a problem." Hank said.

"What kind of problem?" Sam asked.

"One that I can't discuss over the phone." Hank replied. "And I'm really sorry to do this, but I need you back here. Now."

Sam sighed.

"And bring the rest of your team too."

"Yes, sir." Sam replied. She hung up and looked at Cam.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Dunno, but Landry want us all back on base. Now." Sam replied.

"But we're in the middle of a rehearsal!" Shelby said. "Can't it wait?"

Sam shook her head. "I'm afraid not. Can we reschedule?"

Shelby sighed. "I suppose we have to."

"Thank you."

"What's going on General?" Sam asked as she and SG1 walked into the briefing room. "I was in the middle of…" She trailed off when she saw who else was sitting with Hank.

"Colonel, I believe you know Detective Pete Shanahan."

"Yes, I do." Sam replied, not looking at Pete. "What's he doing here?"

"Good to see you too, Sam." Pete said, slightly sarcastically.

Sam sighed and looked at Pete. "I'm sorry, I just wasn't expecting to see you."

"Detective Shanahan is here regarding a spree of UFO sightings in Denver."

"What does that have to do with us?" Daniel asked.

"A lot, seeing as one crashed." Hank replied.

"Oh great." Sam muttered. "General, I might remind you that I am otherwise engaged for the next three weeks at least."

"I know Colonel, but I'd still like you to go with the rest of SG1 today to Denver to see what you can recover from the crash site."

Sam sighed. "Yes, sir." Truthfully, she'd like nothing more than to fly to Washington and spend the last week before her wedding with her fiancé. Instead, she'd probably be spending it in Denver with her ex-fiancé.

"Okay SG1, I'd like you back as soon as possible, but however long this takes…" Hank shrugged. "Hopefully it's nothing serious."

"Hopefully." Cam echoed.

Vala was looking curiously between Sam and Pete, who were both avoiding eye contact with each other.

"Well, shall we get going?" Pete asked.

"Yeah." Sam replied, and Vala heard her mutter, "As soon as this is over with, the better."

The curiosity grew.

They were all sitting in a large van, on their way to Denver. Sam was sitting in the back, as far away from Pete as possible. Vala was sitting next to her, shooting her curious glances, and Sam knew she'd be answering questions about this sooner or later. She also couldn't help but wonder if Pete was currently seeing anyone. Not that she would care. After all, she'd moved on, why shouldn't he?

After what seemed like hours and hours and hours, they finally slowed and pulled into a small clearing. It was shielded from the road by trees, and Sam noticed many local police looking warily at the large item sitting in the middle of the clearing. It looked familiar to Sam. In fact, she recognised it straight away. As did everyone in the van, with the exception of the driver, Pete. They all hopped out of the van and walked over to the Death Glider.

Sam turned to stare at Pete. "You couldn't have taken a photo to show General Landry? This is not the sort of job meant for other SGC personnel, not SG1."

Pete stared back. "How is this not your job? It's alien, and that's what you do."

"A simple recovery, much like this, is not done by SG1; it's more SG13's thing." Sam looked suspiciously at Pete. "What exactly did you tell Landry to convince him that we were needed?"

Pete said nothing.

"As for what it is, it's a Death Glider. As for why it's here, I don't know, and quite frankly, I don't care at the moment."

Sensing a personal shift to the conversation, the rest of SG1 left Sam and Pete alone and went to inspect the glider.

"What is your problem Sam? If it weren't for me, you'd be stuck in that mountain doing God knows what."

"Ha!" Sam laughed. "As a matter of fact, when I was called in by Landry, I wasn't even on base. Nor was the rest of my team. We were busy rehearsing for…" Sam stopped.

Pete raised an eyebrow. "Rehearsing for…?"

Sam looked away. "I'm getting married next week."

Pete blinked a few times. "Oh."

There was an uncomfortable silence.

"Well, congratulations." Pete said.

"Thanks."

"So, who…?"

Sam opened her mouth to reply, but didn't get the chance.

"Carter!"

She frowned and turned. "Jack?"

"Surprise!" Jack grinned and walked over to her. He glanced over her shoulder at the slightly shell shocked detective. "Shanahan." He nodded a greeting.

"General." Pete replied, then he looked at Sam. " 'Jack?' You never called him that when we were together. It was always General O'Neill this, the General that. I suppose I should've known."

Jack raised an eyebrow at Sam, who shook her head, silently telling him not to respond.

"Okay, let's check out this glider so we can all go home." Sam said, leaving the pair of men staring each other down.


	24. Chapter 24

**Interruptions**

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

The glider seemed in perfect condition. The odd thing though, was that there was no pilot, nor a sign of one, so they were unable to determine if there was a Goa'uld, a Jaffa, or another alien entirely, running around earth. True to Sam's word, SG1 had soon left and SG13 had come in to retrieve and study the glider.

Sam was sitting in her lab when Vala walked in. Sam sighed, she'd been waiting for this conversation ever since they'd left Denver the night before.

Vala sat opposite Sam and stared at her in silence for a while. Sam stared back.

"I'm curious." Vala said, finally breaking the silence.

"About?" Sam asked, although she already knew.

"That detective we met yesterday." Vala replied.

"What about him?" Sam asked.

"About… your previous relationship with him. You seemed very uncomfortable and tense around him."

"That's because I was uncomfortable and tense." Sam answered. "I dated Pete for almost two years. We were engaged, but I broke it off with him just before our wedding, just after my father died."

"Why?"

"I could never make him happy, and be happy myself. I didn't love him enough."

Vala gave Sam a sympathetic smile. "That's like Tomin and I. I loved him, just not enough to go with him."

Sam nodded. "Yeah." She smiled. "But I've got Jack. That's part of the reason I didn't marry Pete. It would have meant giving up on the tiny part of me that was still hoping that one day Jack and I could have a relationship without repercussions."

"Did you always love him? Jack, I mean." Vala asked.

"Pretty much, yeah. We even had to admit it once."

Vala looked interested. "Yeah?"

"Have you ever heard of Za'tarcs?" Sam asked.

Vala grimaced. "I had the unfortunate pleasure of witnessing first hand the creation of such beings."

"I'm sorry." Sam said.

Vala sighed. "It wasn't me."

"Anyway, we had an incident with Za'tarcs. A few SGC personnel, and one Tok'ra had become Za'tarcs for the purpose of assassinating the Tok'ra high councillor, and the US President. The Tok'ra developed a method of determining if a person was a Za'tarc. Both Jack and I were found to be Za'tarcs."

Vala frowned. "But no Za'tarc survives."

"I haven't finished the story yet." Sam said. "Janet… the doctors decided to sedate both Jack and I to prevent us from harming ourselves. However, as I was being sedated, I figured it out. We weren't Za'tarcs. We hadn't told to whole truth. There was more to the story, so we were retested, both of us admitting our feelings for each other. We weren't Za'tarcs."

Sam looked reflective, remembering that time.

"Wow." Vala said. "Those frat regs must've been a pain."

Sam shrugged/ "They were, but they're in place for a reason." She gave a dry laugh. "In a complicated relationship like and mine and Jacks, I don't think it would have made a difference whether we were together or not. When we got into trouble off world, our reactions were always to save and help each other. If I'd lost him, it would have been like losing my lover."

Vala nodded.

Sam smiled, a small, slightly sad smiled. "When you find your soul mate, it doesn't matter if they're your lover or not. You're attached to them, emotionally, and spiritually, even if it's not physically." She laughed. "And I'm a scientist! I don't usually believe in things that science can't explain. But the bond I have with Jack is not something that can be explained with science. And that bond has been there pretty much since I first met him. I tried so hard to gain his respect before I realised I didn't need too. He was trying to gain mine, because I was a scientist, and he wasn't. he wanted to earn my respect, not just expect it because he was my superior officer."

Vala smiled. "You seem to have found a very rare man. I'm happy for you that you're finally able to be together."

Sam smiled. "So am I Vala, so am I."

Sam went home to Jack that night. He'd arrived the previous day to surprise Sam at work, before finding out that Sam was in Denver. So he'd decided to surprise her there instead.

Lying in bed next to Jack, Sam just smiled at him serenely. Seeing Pete the day before was a reminder that life had not always been like it was now. Now it was easy, wake up in the morning with Jack, go to bed at night with Jack. Even when Jack was in DC, Sam didn't feel lonely, because Jack was always a phone call away.

"What?" Jack asked.

"What?" Sam replied.

"You're smiling at me. Why?"

"I'm just thinking."

"About?"

"Us." Sam reached over to cup Jack's cheek in her hand. "About how much I love you."

Jack smiled, then, placing a hand on top of the one Sam had on his cheek, interlaced his fingers with hers. "We're getting married in six days." He said.

Sam grinned. "Yes, we are."

"How'd the practice go?"

"Interrupted." Sam replied. "The Death Glider."

"Ah." Jack replied.

Sam shrugged. "It's alright. We didn't end up rescheduling, we all know what we're doing."

"I'm glad." Jack replied. Then he pulled his hand from hers, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. He kissed her gently on the forehead, where there was a faint scar left from when she'd whacked it on the computer desk; her nose; her eyelids; and finally, her lips. "I love you."

Sam kissed him back. "I love you too, Jack."


	25. Chapter 25

**Interruptions**

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

Sam was freaking out.

"Calm down, Sam!" Vala was trying desperately to calm Sam down.

"I'm so nervous." Sam admitted. "I'm getting married tomorrow!"

Vala smiled. "See, nothing to worry about. This is the sort of panic attack you should be having tomorrow morning." She looked thoughtful. "How about some blue jello? That should help calm the nerves."

Sam had to smile. "That sounds good actually."

So they walked to commissary and sat, Sam with blue jello, and Vala with red.

"Are you happy you're getting married tomorrow?" Vala asked.

"Are you kidding? Of course I am!" Sam replied.

"So why are you nervous?" Vala queried. "You're not going to change your mind, are you?"

"No!"

"So, there really is no reason to be nervous."

Sam looked at Vala. "You're right. But this is still a big step in my life. That's why I'm nervous."

Vala smiled. "Well, at least you know why you're nervous. A lot of people when they're nervous, are just nervous, with no idea as to why."

Sam shrugged. "I'm not most people."

"That's true." Vala replied.

"So, are you ready?" Sam asked.

"For the wedding? Sure I am. Looking forward to it. Can't wait." Vala grinned. "It's going to be great!"

Sam smiled. "Thanks."

"No problem." Vala answered.

Sam lay in bed that night, beside Jack. She was smiling at him again. He smiled back.

"We're getting married tomorrow." Sam said.

"I know. Isn't it exciting?" Jack replied.

"Yes."

Jack took one of Sam's hands and held it gently.

"I Just hope we're not interrupted by something." Sam said. "There seems to be a lot of interruptions since we began a proper relationship."

"I'm marrying you tomorrow, Sam." Jack said. "No matter what. The Tok'ra could contact us asking for help, and I'd say 'nope, getting married.' The missing pilot from that Death Glider could turn up, I'd say 'don't care, getting married.' The _Asgard_ could magically blink into existence, and you know what?"

"What?" Sam asked.

"I'd say, 'come back another day, getting married.'"

"Getting married." Sam joined in with Jack, and they both laughed.

"And I'm finally going to spend the rest of my life with you." Jack smiled. "You're stuck with me, Carter."

"And you're stuck with me, sir." Sam replied.

Jack leant forward and kissed Sam. "I could never be 'stuck' with you. I love you, so, so much."

"Just like I'm not 'stuck' with you. I chose for you to be in my life." Sam replied. "And now, I can't imagine my life without you in it."

Jack suddenly laughed.

Sam frowned, looking confused. "What?"

"Well, at least we know getting married tomorrow isn't going to be a bug mistake."

Sam laughed too. "I never thought it would be a mistake."

"Nor did I." Jack replied, and he kissed her again. "Now get some sleep, you'll need it."

"Yes, sir." Sam replied with a yawn. The last thing she saw was Jack, staring tenderly at her.


	26. Chapter 26

**Interruptions**

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

The next day dawned bright and sunny. Sam said good-bye to Jack before being whisked away by Vala and Cassie to get ready for the wedding. The wedding. Her wedding. Hers and Jack's. Sam grinned to herself.

They arrived at Cassie's place, where Sam's dress was being kept. Sam was in a bit of a daze as she followed Vala and Cassie inside. She sat still for most of the morning as a hairdresser did her hair and makeup. The wedding was at 1400 hours, and by midday, Sam's hair and makeup were done. All that was left to do was for her to get into the dress and go to the wedding.

"Nervous, Sam?" Cassie asked.

"Not really." Sam replied. "It seems a bit surreal. But I'm not nervous."

"I'm so happy for you. And Jack." Cassie smiled. "For years I never understood why you and Jack just wouldn't get together. Everyone could see that you two were perfect for each other."

Sam smiled in return. "It was complicated."

"Love shouldn't be." Cassie replied.

"It wasn't so much the love that was complicated." Sam said. "It was more the military. Ranks, working conditions. It just wouldn't have worked."

Cassie sighed. "Well, I suppose it doesn't matter now. It's all worked out!"

Sam stood and gave the younger woman a hug. "Thank you. For everything you've done for me."

"It was nothing." Cassie replied. "I should be thanking you. You saved my life and gave me a home, and a family."

They remained in the embrace.

At 1:15pm, Sam started to get into her dress. With Vala and Cassie's help, she laced up the back and had the dress on properly. Then came the veil, and jewellery. She wore long earrings and a silver bracelet. Finally she slipped on her shoes, and they were ready to go.

Teal'c arrived with Cameron in the limo to pick them up. Vala and Cassie were wearing their dresses; they were blue and floor length. They had thin straps over their shoulders and low back lines.

Cam smiled at Sam when he saw her. "You look fantastic Sam." He said.

Sam smiled shyly. "Thanks, Cam."

Teal'c gave a rare smile. "You are most beautiful Samantha." He said, sounding a little more emotional than normal.

Sam lay a hand on Teal'c's arm. "Thank you." She said.

"Well, shall we go then?" Cam asked.

They all slid into the limo and began the drive to the wedding venue. It was being held in a park, close to the SGC. It had been specially closed for the wedding, and set up with chairs and a lectern. There was an aisle down the middle, lined with flowers.

Jack was standing with Daniel at the front, in front of the minister. He was fidgeting with the cuff links of his shirt.

"Jack."

"Hmm?"

"Stop it." Daniel said.

Jack stopped fidgeting and looked expectantly at the other end of the aisle.

"Don't worry. They'll be here soon enough." Daniel said.

The chairs had all been filled, and there were even people standing. It seemed to jack that he and Sam had many, many friends. Even the president had decided to attend. He was getting curious stares from many other guests. Most the staff of the SGC were in attendance, including Hank, Carolyn Lam, Walter Harriman and Sergeant Siler. There were also many people SG1 had come into contact with over the years. And many of the Atlantis staff had come back to Earth for the wedding of their ex-leader, and the man who'd given the 'yes' for the Atlantis expedition in the first place.

Jack watched as a limousine wound its way to the park. It stopped at the end of the aisle.

"This is it." Daniel muttered.

The music started, and from out of the limo stepped Cassie and Cam. They began to walk together down the aisle. Next came Vala. Daniel grinned when he saw her. Finally, Teal'c, in his tux, stepped out of the car, and leant a hand to Sam.

Jack's breath hitched as he saw his bride. She gave him a shy smile, and placed her hand in the crook of Teal'c's arm.

Jack looked at her. Sam was simply breath taking. Her hair fell in loose curls around her shoulders, and her dres… the dress. It showed off a lot of skin, and was tied up around Sam's neck.

Time seemed to slow down as Jack watched Sam walking towards him. Her eyes were bright and excited, and slightly nervous. Jack imagined his eyes looked similar, though not as blue.

Teal'c and Sam finally reached Jack and Daniel, and Teal'c took Sam's hand. He gave her a tender look, smiled, and gave her hand to Jack. Jack grinned at Teal'c, then looked down at Sam.

"You look… perfect." He whispered.

She smiled. "So do you."

They turned to the minister, who smiled at them."

"Well, I was told not to start with 'dearly beloved,' so instead I'm going to say, welcome. It's really good to see so many people here to witness the joining of Jack and Samantha in marriage." The minister smiled down at Sam and Jack. "So, we'll begin."

Sam didn't hear much of what the minister said after that. She was too busy staring at Jack. Then they got to the vows. They'd written their own, deciding it would be more special. Jack went first, producing a piece of paper from his pocket.

"I wrote mine down, otherwise I'd muddle it up and end up promising to be sick, and take care of you when you're healthy."

Sam laughed, as did everyone else.

"Okay, Sam. I sat down to write my vows. To decide what to say to yo that would make you still want to marry me. But I didn't know what to say. I could promise to be with you through sickness, and in health, but I do that anyway, and I'm not about to stop. I could promise to be faithful, but there's no way in hell I would ever want anyone but you. I could promise to provide for you, but I know that you're self sufficient and very independent, and won't want me cramping your style. So simply, I promise you myself. I will be there for you whenever you need me; I'll look after you, if you want me to, and I'll give you freedom if you want it. And I promise to love you. Totally and unconditionally. Forever."

Sam had teared up during this. "Thank you." She whispered. "I suppose it's my turn. I've never had much luck in relationships. They've never lasted long, and before I met you, I began to think that maybe I wasn't meant to be in a happy relationship. But then I met you. When I first met you, you were my commanding officer, and logically, I shouldn't have felt anything about you, other than respect. But we clicked, and I knew I'd found my soulmate. And no matter how long we waited, I always knew I'd never again meet anyone like you. For a while it seemed hopeless, and at other times it seemed like something might happen. But now, that's all in the past, and we're here, today, getting married. And I'm never going to leave your side. I promise to always be there for you and to always love you. I'll never stop. You're my best friend Jack, and I promise to be yours. For the rest of our lives."

Jack smiled tenderly at Sam. His tough exterior had fallen away, revealing the emotional man behind the facade.

Next came the exchanging of the rings, then…

"It is my pleasure to now pronounce you husband and wife." The minister said, smiling broadly at them. Then to Jack he said, "You may kiss your bride."

Jack delicately lifted Sam's veil over her head, then leant forward to press a kiss to her waiting lips. He cupped her face in his hands as they kissed.

"I love you." Sam whispered between kisses.

"I love you too, Mrs O'Neill." Jack replied.

"Oh that's going to take a bit of getting used to." Sam muttered. She grinned at Jack. "Husband."


	27. Chapter 27

**Interruptions**

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

They held a reception at a local reception hall. There was food, and there was alcohol. And speeches. Many different people gave speeches in honour of Sam and Jack. Daniel was first.

"I've known Sam for over a decade. I've known Jack for about a year longer. And I have to say, from the moment these two met, there were sparks. I was all for them forgetting the regulations, but no. They wouldn't. but putting that aside, we're finally here today to celebrate the wedding we've all been waiting years for." He turned to Sam and Jack, holding up his glass. "Here's to many, many happy years ahead. And congratulations. I love you both!"

Cassie went next.

"Sam and Jack have been like parents to me. I spent many years around them while I was growing up, and they've always been there for me, especially when my mother, Janet, died. Sam and Jack, albeit separately, took me in. and I thank them for that. And I would just like to say, finally. Daniel was right; this is the wedding we've all been waiting for. So I'm glad you two finally got your act together." Cassie grinned. "Now hurry up and give me a brother or sister!"

Everyone laughed. Then Jack stood up. Looking down at his new wife, he said, "Now I have something I'd like to say."

Sam looked at him expectantly.

"I've waited over a decade for this day, and I just want you to know, you've made this everything I wanted, and more. And I love you, more than anything. And thank you for marrying me and making me the happiest guy in the world."

Sam grinned at him. "I think it's me who should thank you for making me the happiest girl anywhere. And thanks for not giving up on me over the years. You're my best friend and I love you, and I will for the rest of my life."

Jack grinned to, and pulled Sam to her feet so he could kiss her again.

There was cheering and whooping from the guests.

It was late. It was dark. Sam was lying in bed next to Jack, just watching him. They were married! They were leaving the next morning on their honeymoon, and they were going back to Australia.

"You're staring at me again." Jack murmured.

"I'm allowed to." Sam replied. "I'm your wife, remember?"

Jack opened his eyes and grinned. "Oh, I remember. How could I forget something like that?" He reached out a hand to Sam's face, resting it on her cheek.

Sam sighed happily. "I can't believe we're actually married! And it wasn't interrupted!"

"It was perfect." Jack said.

"Everything I could have hoped for." Sam replied. She rolled closer to Jack, and kissed him gently. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Jack wrapped an arm around Sam. "So, Cassie wants a brother or sister. What do you say?"

"Well, I'm all for trying." Sam replied with a sly grin.

"I'm glad, 'cause so am I." Jack replied, kissing her passionately.

Sam kissed him back gladly.

Jack's hands began to roam and explore Sam's body. He lifted the hem of the oversize t-shirt Sam slept in and traced patterns on the skin underneath. Sam placed her hands on Jack's bare chest, running them over the planes of his stomach. He'd kept himself in shape.

Jack's hands began to explore the front of Sam's body, coming up to brush gently over her breasts. Sam's eyelids flickered shut. She moaned in appreciation. She didn't immediately notice when Jack removed the t-shirt from her body, but when he stopped caressing her, she opened here eyes. Jack was staring at her. Not at her breasts, but into her eyes.

"What?" Sam choked out.

"You're beautiful." Jack replied. "Really, really beautiful."

Sam blushed, and smiled shyly.

Jack bent down to kiss her. Not a kiss if lust, but a kiss full of love. After this, neither of them could think of anything but each other.

Sam woke the next morning to an insistent beeping noise. In the haze that was her early morning mind, Sam realised that it was her cell phone. She stuck a hand onto the bedside table, locating the phone and brining it to her ear so she could answer it.

"Yeah, Carter." She yawned.

"Colonel, I'm really sorry to do this to you, but you're needed here." It was Hank.

Sam sighed. "Sir, I got married yesterday. I'm sure you remember, and that means I'm now on leave for three weeks. What could you possibly need me for?"

"We've been contacted by Jonas Quinn. He says that the rebuilding has begun, but he needs your help. Their DHD has been damaged, so many gate addresses cannot be dialled. Earth is one of the few that can be dialled."

Sam sighed. "Did you tell him I just got married?"

"Yes I did. He says congratulations, but they desperately need the DHD to work, otherwise they can't go to the planets they have trade deals with, and if representatives from these planets should come to Kelowna and get stuck…" Hank trailed off.

"The planet-wide war could become an inter-planet war." Sam completed the General's sentence. Another big sigh. "I'll be there in an hour."

"Thank you Colonel. And I will arrange another, private flight for yourself and Jack to Australia."

"Thanks." Sam murmured, hanging up the phone. "This is just fantastic.


	28. Chapter 28

**Interruptions**

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

Sam arrived in Langara, along with Cam, Daniel, Vala and Teal'c. It was vastly different from the last time they were there. People were no longer lying dead, injured or dying in the streets. Buildings were being erected, and the Stargate was no longer in the ruins of an underground facility.

"Wow." Said Cam, looking at Sam. "They really have managed to survive."

Sam just nodded, then smiled as a familiar little girl came running over to squeeze her legs. "Hello Carrisa." She said.

The little girl smiled shyly up at Sam.

"Welcome back." Jonas had arrived.

"Jonas, wow. You've all done an amazing job." Sam replied.

"I told you we'd manage." Jonas replied. He smiled. "Thanks for coming."

Sam gave a forced smiled. "Yeah."

"And I'm sorry for stalling your honeymoon, but we really need your expertise." Jonas continued.

Sam sighed. "Well, let's go and find the problem. I'd really like to get back to Jack."

"I can imagine." Jonas replied, sounding slightly sad.

Sam frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Well, Shaya wasn't Kelownan. She's from the Andari, and her parents decided that it was my fault that their daughter had a bomb dropped on her, and that she was shot. They forced her to go back to them. I haven't seen her in about two months."

Sam looked down at Carrisa, who was still clinging to her legs. "Without Carrisa?" She asked.

"Shaya's parents want nothing to do with Carrisa, once again, it's my fault that their daughter had a child with someone from Kelowna."

"I'm sorry Jonas." Sam said, placing a hand on his houlder.

Sam quickly located the problem with the DHD. One of the crystals was slightly damaged, and needed to be replaced. Sam had brought spare crystals just in case, so easily replaced the damaged crystal. After replacing the crystal, she stood up, wiping hair out of her face.

"There, try it now. It should work." She said to Jonas, who stepped closer and dialled an address.

"This one wouldn't work yesterday." He said, and everyone watched as the gate spun, and the chevrons engaged. The seventh chevron locked, and the gate sprung to life, the vortex spinning out, then settling back to the event horizon.

"It worked!" Jonas said.

"Did you ever doubt me?" Sam asked.

Jonas turned and smiled. "Of course not. Thank you, Sam. I'd ask you to stay, but I'm sure you want to get back to Jack, and your honeymoon." He paused. "Where are you going, anyway?"

"Australia." Sam replied. "It's where we were when Jack proposed… before we were beamed back to America."

"Ah, so many interruptions." Jonas said.

"Don't I know it." Sam replied. "I'm just glad nothing interrupted our wedding."

"That is good." Jonas agreed. He gave Sam a quick hug. "Thank you." He said again.

Sam smiled. "You're welcome."

"Now go! Get back to your husband."

Sam gave Jonas a searching look. "Are you going to be okay? I mean with Shaya gone?"

"I'm going to get her back." Jonas replied. "She'll find a way. I know it."

Sam nodded. "Good bye Jonas."

"Good bye Sam." Jonas replied. "But hopefully not forever."

He gave her a familiar grin, then, taking his young daughter, left to farewell the rest of SG1.

SG1 arrived on earth, in the gate room. Sam looked around. It was so familiar, and comforting. She glanced up at the briefing room as she walked down the ramp. It was there she'd originally met Jack. It was then Sam really realised that everything she had, all her friends, now her family, her husband, had come to her because of this place. She smiled absently as she left the gate room to head to the locker rooms. Yes, this place held most of her fondest, and indeed, saddest memories. Except for a brief time at Area 51, and a year in Atlantis, Sam had spent almost 13 years working on SG1. That was a long time for anybody to stay at one post. Since arriving at the SGC, all those years ago as a fresh faced Captain, to now, being a full bird Colonel, Sam always knew this would be the best post of her life.

"What are you thinking about?" Vala asked.

Sam turned to the other woman and smiled. "Life."


	29. Chapter 29

**Interruptions**

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

Sam smiled at Jack. Jack smiled back.

"You're amazing." Jack said.

"You're brilliant." Sam replied.

"I'm so glad you married me."

"I'm so glad you wanted to marry me." Jack smiled, holding one of Sam's hands as they watched the sunset over the Southern Ocean. "Don't ever doubt how much I love you."

"I never will." Sam answered, leaning her head on Jack's shoulder. "As long as you don't doubt how much I love _you_."

Jack rested his head in top of Sam's. "I never will." He echoed Sam's words.

They were travelling around Australia for their honeymoon. They were currently in a small town on the south coast of Western Australia called Bremer Bay. They sun went down and still Sam and Jack sat on the beach, watching the ocean. Waves crashed in front of them and receded, only to be engulfed by more incoming waves.

Sam shut her eyes, listening to the waves. It was calming, and she felt herself drifting off.

Sam awoke with a start, and realised that she was in bed. In bed next to Jack. He smiled at her when he saw she was awake.

"I fell asleep?" Sam said.

"Yes, you did." Jack replied. "I bought you back here." He smiled again.

"I'm sorry." Sam said, reaching out and taking one of Jack's hands.

"It's okay." Jack replied, bringing her hand up to his mouth so he could kiss it gently.

Sam leant closer, and kissed Jack's lips instead.

The next morning was spent lounging around, and spending quality time with each other. Bremer Bay was a small town, with not much to do except go to various beaches, or fish at the estuary. Jack enjoyed setting up with his fishing rod at the estuary, and Sam, after years of claiming to not like fishing, admitted that she didn't mind it after all. She set up next to Jack, and was quite pleased when she caught the first fish.

"Beginner's luck." Jack said.

"Oh sure, whatever you say, _sir._" Sam replied, placing a heavy emphasis on the word 'sir.'

"You just watch it Carter. I could have you for insubordination."

"I'm sure." Sam replied. "You could but you won't. I'm your wife, that gives me automatic permission to be as insubordinate as I like."

Jack grinned at her. "I suppose I agree."

Sam smiled.

There were a number of other places Sam and Jack visited on their honeymoon, including Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Hobart. They spent three days in Tasmania, which they both decided was definitely not enough time, and that they'd have to go back. They only ever stayed in one place for a few days, seeing as they had limited time before they were both due back in America to continue their work, Sam at the SGC, and Jack in Washington. Sam could see that there would be a lot of going back and forth between Colorado Springs and Washington DC happening in the future. Hopefully one day they'd be able to settle down in one town, but for now, Sam was content with her life.

**A/N: Ah! Only one chapter to go, and then this, my longest story, is finished. Wow. Thanks for sticking with me :)**


	30. Epilogue

**Interruptions**

**Chapter Thirty – Epilogue**

Not a day went past that Samantha Carter didn't sit alone in her lab, thinking, not about what could have been, but about what was. Leaning awkwardly back on her chair, she laid a hand on her protruding stomach and smiled.

"Hi Jack."

"Damn it! I was trying to sneak up on you!"

Sam turned around and smiled at her husband. "I've got a Jack radar." She said.

"A Jack radar?"

"Yeah, I can tell whenever you're around. Even when I don't see you." She grinned. "Could be because I have a bit of you inside me."

Jack closed the distance between himself and Sam so he could kiss her and say a proper hello.

After kissing her, his hand joined hers on her stomach. He smiled when he felt a small movement, his eyes shining.

Sam wrapped her free arm around Jack, pulling him close. "I love you." She whispered.

"I love you more." Jack replied.

Sam chuckled. "I don't think so." She said in a singsong voice.

"Oh really?" Jack answered.

"Ahem." There was the sound of someone clearing their throat. "Am I interrupting something?" It was Daniel.

"Not really." Jack replied, turning, but not moving away from Sam. "We were about to get into an argument about who loves who more."

Daniel smiled. "I just wanted to invite you two to dinner. Teal'c, Cam, Vala and I are going out for dinner tonight, and you're welcome to come."

Sam nodded. "I reckon we will."

Sam smiled, taking in the sight. SG1, having dinner together again. So, two years after that first dinner when Jack confessed his feelings, Sam found herself back at that same restaurant, with the same people. The only differences being that Daniel and Vala were engaged, and Sam and Jack were married, and expecting their first baby.

Sam revelled in the way her life had changed in the last two years, and, as she leant against Jack, watching Vala feed Daniel, she knew that she wouldn't have it any other way. Everything happens in its own time, and this was finally her time. She was happy, more happy than ever before, and it was then, sitting with her friends, and quite rightly her family, Sam realised that her father was right. And now she had everything she wanted, and she was happy. She wished Jacob was here to see her and how her life had changed, but he wasn't. And even though she was a scientist, Sam couldn't help but think, maybe, just maybe, her father was out there somewhere in some form, watching over her.

Sam met Jack's gaze as she looked around.

"You're thinking again." He whispered.

Sam shrugged. "I never stop."

Jack smiled at her, and brushed a strand if hair from her face. "And you wouldn't be you if you didn't spend all your time thinking."

Sam smiled too, leaning closer so she could kiss Jack.

"Come on! Geez, get a room!" Daniel said, echoing Sam's words from all that time ago.

Sam ignored him, and kissed Jack again. After all, he was her husband, and she was going to make the most of having him around.

Pulling away, Sam grinned smugly at Daniel, who, in retaliation, grabbed Vala and kissed her passionately.

Cam laughed. "This is crazy! Feel left out Teal'c?"

The Jaffa merely fixed the younger man with a look. No words were needed.

"Guess not." Cam said, shrugging. "Well, may I propose a toast?"

Everyone turned to pay attention.

"Here's to us." Cam said. "We're a dysfunctional lot, but we're a family. And a great one at that. Here's to the continuation of out family. And the expansion." He grinned at Sam.

Everyone raised their glasses.

"Here's to us." Cam said again.

"Cheers!" Everyone said together.

**The End**

**A/N: Wow, the longest story I've ever written, and finished. I really enjoyed writing, and then re-reading this story, and I hope you all enjoyed it too. Thanks to everyone who's taken the time to read and to review. Hopefully I will be able to write more stories that you will enjoy in the future. :)**


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